Heart
by Wait-For-Sleep
Summary: Ch6: In his memories a smaller, weaker, far less intense reiatsu overwhelmed him in much the same way, a picture of hair as black as her eyes and a temperament as fiery as his hair... Gotta read to find out guys.
1. I Give You My Heart

**_Heart_**

_**Chapter 1 – I Give You My Heart**_

"…_That's because Kaien-dono… entrusted his heart to me!"_ The words the shinigami said only seconds before rang in his head, piercing his heart.

Dropping Nejibana, which had the short, raven haired shinigami girl impaled on it, the espada Aaroniero Alulueri screamed in pain, the body that wasn't his broken and bleeding. Sode No Shirayuki's third dance…

"AIZEN-SAMA!!" Aaroniero screamed in rage. "HELP ME!! HELP ME, AIZEN SAMA!! YOU SAID…SAID IF I FOLLOWED YOU, I'D BE RELEASED FROM ALL THE PAIN!!" The pain of knowing her face, but not seeing it every day, like the soul he had devoured, Kaien, had gotten to do. The pain of being forever unsatisfied because it was a nameless, female arrancar instead of…instead of that girl. "WHAT IS THIS?! THE PAIN!! THIS IS SO PAINFUL, I HATE IT!! I HATE IT, I HATE IT, I HATE IT, I HATE IT!!" The female shinigami that was sprawled on the floor stood up shakily and looked up at him screaming, watching the body of her ex vice captain writhing in pain and hatred, anger and resentment…sadness…

The girl watched him hit the floor, only a split second before she herself landed beside him. The ninth espada, Aaroniero Alulueri was dead.

Nejibana returned to his original state, and Rukia was no longer impaled by the katana. The blood flowed freely from her stomach to the floor, mixing with the blood of Aaroniero. More literally, the blood of Kaien Shiba.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and then opened them again. _No…no! I will __**not **__die alone! _His words floated through her head. _"Your heart will be passed on to your nakama." _Her tears suddenly flowed, realising…realising that Shiba Kaien chose her, Kuchiki Rukia, and her alone, to give his heart to. _Kaien-dono…_

After much effort, she moved her head so that she could look at his broken body. It was in that moment that she realised she would not die alone. Of course, Kaien had already been dead, but now he was _free_. And she was free to be with him. She smiled to herself. _Thank you, Kaien-dono…_ Her last image was of his face, so peaceful looking he could have been asleep. She imagined what it would be like, to touch those lips with her own just one last time.

And suddenly, that thought linked itself to the thought of another person, orange haired, amber eyed, a scowling face…

Kaien's face began to blur, her vision darkening as her heart sank into hopelessness, realising that she would never see the orange strawberry again. Against her own will, her eyes closed. She struggled to reopen them, but she couldn't. When she had begun to slip into darkness, she was sure that she deserved it; it was redemption for killing her beloved, and it was alright anyway because she would be able to see him again.

But the image of that boy, that arrogant, scowling, orange haired human…that image flashed in her eyes. And for the first time in a hundred years…

Kuchiki Rukia did not want to die.

There was now so much for her to live for, and so many more things that were worth dying for. And she knew that Kaien Shiba would have told her "this isn't one of them. You must absolutely not die alone, Kuchiki!"

The image of Uryu and Chad burst into her head. She pushed herself up with her arms.

Byakuya-niisama and Renji…she frowned in pain as she got up on her knees.

Ichigo…Her eyes widened in determination as she tried to put her weight on her right leg.

Orihime…She held herself up, standing on shaky legs. _I know what it means to be alone. _

"Do not fear, Inoue…" Her voice shook as she fell back on her knees. "I'll be right…" her head hit the floor. "…There!" She struggled to get up, but she couldn't stop her eyes from closing, and couldn't open them again. She would have cried in frustration, but she was too weak.

"K-Kaien…Kaien…help me, Kaien…" And her head began to spin.

Her last thought was of the orange haired, amber eyed, frowning shinigami who she was now so used to…it was strange. Since meeting Kurosaki Ichigo, she couldn't imagine dying without him being near her. She had just assumed that when she eventually died, it would be with him and Renji.

"_Your heart goes to your nakama."_

_Ichigo…I give you my heart._

---------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

When Ulquiorra told Ichigo that Rukia was dead, he refused to believe the espada, even though he had already sensed the fading of his nakama's reiatsu. He had sensed it, but had managed to push it to the back of his mind; after all, she was _Rukia_.

He had frowned to himself as he faced Ulquiorra as he descended the stairs, thinking of only Rukia. _Che. She's not dead and she's not dying; there's no way._ He wasn't thinking that way because he believed in her abilities as a shinigami; other than having an elemental zanpakuto, Rukia was a rather average shinigami, nobody who was unbelievably _strong_ or anything. No, although he had confidence in her shinigami abilities, it was her abilities as a person that made him sure that she would not die. She was a strong, determined and wilful person. _She won't just lay down and die. _

"You remember my name? Although I don't remember telling it to you. So be it." He seemed to secretly savour the dramatic pause between his last words and his next sentence, although a smile or smirk never graced his lips. "Kuchiki Rukia is dead."

And just like that, Ichigo fell apart. "What…did you say?!"

Ulquiorra went on to tell him how Rukia and Aaroniero had defeated each other. Ichigo made towards her fading reiatsu.

"Where are you going?"

Ichigo kept his head down, staring at the floor as he walked away. "To save Rukia."

"Even though I told you she died?"

"…I don't believe you." _She won't die. She won't die. Dead people can't die, they just…can't, dammit!!_

And somehow, the espada goaded Ichigo into not going after Rukia. Ichigo felt his blood boil as he learned that Ulquiorra was the espada who had captured Orihime in the first place…and they fought.

It was a long and hard battle, but Ulquiorra won. Ichigo was half dead, when Grimmjow appeared and allowed Orihime to heal him. When she had finished, Grimmjow fought Ichigo himself…

-------------------h-e-a-r-t--------------------

Grimmjow was nearly defeated, until they were interrupted by a tall, thin espada with long, shiny black hair and a wide grin on his face.

"The shinigami's mine."

"Who are you?!" Ichigo shouted. The espada continued to grin in a menacing way. "I said, who are you?!"

"Noi…tra??" Grimmjow mumbled. "You bastard…"

"What the fuck?? You're still alive?" The espada called Niotra made a move towards Grimmjow with his zanpakuto, but was stopped by Ichigo's own.

And the fight persisted.

------------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

Not ten seconds into the fight, Ichigo decided one thing – Noitra was so much stronger than Grimmjow had been, but still he fought back; he had to beat the espada so that he could get Rukia and Inoue home. He owed them that much…

Suddenly, Zangetsu was knocked out of Ichigo's hands and the tip of Noitra's own zankaputo was digging into his throat slightly as Ichigo lay sprawled on the floor. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly in shock. _I can't die…I won't die! I can't die now, when I've come so far!_

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue screamed, but was held back by Tesla. "ICHIGO!!" The tears streamed down her face. "ICHIGO!!" Her cries went unheard by the espada.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…the determination in your eyes…don't you know she's dead?" Noitra taunted, his grin wide, his eyes shining as he looked down at Ichigo. "Don't try to kid yourself that if you somehow manage to beat me, she'll suddenly breathe!" He laughed manically.

"She's not dead, you bastard," Ichigo said calmly, although he had to fight to keep his voice from shaking. The hatred never left his eyes.

"I beg to differ, shinigami. Kuchiki Rukia has been dead for an hour. I saw it in here," Noitra tapped at his head, a manical look in his eyes, his grin never faltering. "We all did!!"

"LIAR!" Ichigo screamed. "SHE'S NOT DEAD!!"

"Oh, but surely you felt it? Your nakama's reiatsu, fading away? Is it not completely vanished now?! It is! She's dead!" He held his head back and laughed long and loud. "Didn't you feel it, _shinigami_?! She is nothing now, as will be you!"

"She's alive, you asshole!!" Ichigo screamed.

Suddenly, Noitra's eyes seemed to go glassy, almost as though he was staring into space, but still…seeing something. His mouth opened slightly as the visions and sounds in his head lasted a fraction of a second, but he had still seen all that had just happened. He saw the body of a tall, slightly tanned, raven haired man standing up shakily, his injuries no longer in existence. _Alulueri is alive?!_ The man seemed slightly dazed, but it appeared as though he was searching for something, looking around frantically. He shouted a name, and tears ran from his blue eyes. He shouted it again but didn't get an answer. _What the hell is this? _His eyes seemed to rest on a small body, lying sprawled on the floor about twenty feet away. He ran to her and shook her shoulders… _Aaroniero Alulueri is a traitor? Impossible…no, if Alulueri died, which he did…then this is the soul of the body he was possessing…how can this be?! _Noitra frowned slightly in his mind, but still wouldn't wipe away that insane grin on his face, or dull the shine in his manical eyes.

He grinned insanely down at the shinigami. "You are Ichigo, ne? Your name is not Kaien?"

Ichigo frowned. "Stop fucking around!"

"Touchy, aren't you?" Noitra laughed. "It's just that, if your name is Kurosaki Ichigo, why was she screaming for Shiba Kaien?"

Ichigo felt a pang, but it was as though he felt it twice…almost as if…there was someone else inside him…

_**Hey. King. Aren't you a little tired of this bastard?**_

Ichigo's eyes widened. _No…not you!_

You sound disappointed King…even though I'm the only one that can get you out of this.

_No…I learned to control you! How am I suddenly hearing you again?!_

_**You aren't complaining, are ya?**_

_Yes!_

That's too bad, ne? Cause believe me, I aint leaving so easily this time.

_You will if you know what's good for you, bastard!_

_**What about what's good for Rukia?**_

_Why would you care?!_

Ichigo's hollow seemed to exhale in a thoughtful manner. _**I won't let her die**_, he said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. It seemed he was speaking more to himself than to Ichigo.

Ichigo raised his eyebrows in surprise. _What the fuck?_

The hollow spoke directly to Ichigo this time. _**I won't let her die!**_

"What's wrong, _shinigami_?! Are you wondering who Kaien Shiba is?!" Noitra laughed insanely. "She belongs to him!" The espada threw back his head and laughed manically -

- Until he was stopped by the sudden sword edge that was held at his throat. He opened his eyes in shock. Ichigo Kurosaki was no longer lying on the ground.

Ogihci Ikasoruk held Zangetsu to Noitra's suddenly fearful looking face. His skin and spiky hair were pure white, and the only thing about him that wasn't white were his eyes; black and yellow, like something evil. When he spoke, his voice was mocking, almost…crazy. It was a voice that sent shivers down even Noitra's spine.

"Kuchiki Rukia is _mine_, bastard!" he laughed, slowly putting more force behind the blade at the espada's throat, as blood began to slowly spill. His face formed into an evil, insane looking smirk. "Mine, and mine alone! And she is not-" he threw all his reiatsu into his sword in one fast motion and thrusted it upwards into Noitra's throat "-dead!" The espada fell to the floor. Dead.

"NOITRA!!" Tesla yelled in disbelief. He made towards his fallen comrade but before he could go to his fallen body, a portal appeared in front of him. "Aizen-sama," he whispered to himself as he walked into the portal, and it vanished.

"KUROSAKI-KUN!!" Ichigo's hollow turned towards the source of the voice, and saw a teenage girl with long, orange hair running towards him. "ICHIGO!!"

"Are ya blind? Do I _look_ like your Ichigo to you?" he smirked evilly. Orihime's eyes widened.

"But…Kurosaki-kun can control you…"

"Well look who's in control now, little girl!" Ogihci walked towards her in an intimidating manner.

"Kurosa…Ichigo. Ichigo! Come back!" Tears sprang to Inoue's eyes as she felt her heart break. "Ichigo!" The hollow grabbed her by the shoulders roughly.

"Listen, little girl. You're lucky I've not _killed_ you by now!" Inoue's eyes widened and a shiver went down her spine. This wasn't the Ichigo she loved. "The only reason I've decided to keep you alive is that I'm going to need you to heal Rukia!" If possible, Inoue's heart broke even more. "So do as I say, and help me find her!"

------------------------h-e-a-r-t--------------------------

Good? Bad? Loved? Hated?

This is my first Bleach ficcy!! I hope at least ONE person out there liked it!! Feel free to review, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is also greatly appreciated.

I know that was a long first chapter, but I just wanna grab some attention. Also, I tend to go on a bit…as you might have guessed :P But anyways, hope you stay tuned! Peace out.


	2. Losing You

**_Heart_**

**_Chapter 2 – Losing You_**

_"I feel there's only one thing left_

_To do_

_I'd sooner take my life away_

_Than live_

_With losing you" – Beyond This Life by Dream Theater_

---------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

He lay beside her, his breathing haggard, his body near-broken, but his soul completely intact.

His eyes were half closed in exhaustion, but he forced them to stay open. He just didn't want to miss any sign of movement the girl might make.

_**What if she doesn't move at all?**_ A voice inside him said. _**You're fucked then, Shiba!!**_

_Shut UP!! _He screamed in his mind, although he knew that no matter how hard he tried, Aaroniero Alulueri's voice wouldn't be silenced. Kaien Shiba might be back in control of his own body, but Alulueri's voice would not be drowned out; much like Kaien's when Aaroniero had been the one in control.

_**But look at her, you stupid bastard!! She's dead!!**_ The voice laughed manically, but then seemed to take on the air of someone who had just realized what they were saying. _**She's dead…**_

_She is NOT DEAD!! _He traced her mouth with his fingers softly, staring at her closed eyelids. _C'mon…you just showed me how strong you were, Kuchiki!! I actually doubted you, but I was wrong! Look how damn strong you got; you can't die now and leave it to waste!_

_**More like "can't leave US to waste".**_

_Us?! You're not included in this, you psychotic motherfucking asshole!! What the fuck would YOU care that she's gone?! You're the one who FUCKING KILLED HER!!_

Alulueri seemed to contemplate it. _**Don't forget Shiba; I've seen every single one of your memories. She was in all the ones that shined the brightest. I care as much as you do.**_

_What's that supposed to mean? You say it as if I loved her or something._

There was a few seconds of silence before the voice replied. _**You must love her. **_

_And why do you say that, you fuckin' failed psychiatrist?_

_**You must love her, because I do.**_

Kaien's fists automatically clenched. _Don't you DARE say that!!_

_**Why not? It's true.**_

_Don't talk about her as if you ever knew her!! Because you didn't!!_

_**I know her through you. **_

_Exactly, through ME!! She doesn't know YOU, she knows her totally awesome Vice Captain Kaien!!_

**_It's rather unbelievable. Even when someone you love so much can't open her eyes, you can still talk in that egotistical manner._**

Kaien kept tracing her lips, but continued to much more slowly. _What can I say? Would Kuchiki really want to see me break down and cry, and cling to a corpse? _Although that was what he felt like doing. He tried so hard not to let the memories run from his eyes, but they built up and splashed onto the dusty, cracked floor, some in her hair, some on her neck.

_Kuchiki…am I losing you?_

In retrospect, Kaien didn't know what made him pass out at that moment in time. Whether it was from grief, exhaustion, or the major suppression of his soul or a combination of all three, he didn't know. All he knew was, the last thought in his head as he cradled the small, broken girl in his arms was: _You still have my heart._

---------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

She had to run to keep up with the white haired, hollow-sided Ichigo. He marched what felt like miles ahead of her, resilient in his uncharacteristic rescue attempt.

When she was completely honest with herself, Orihime saw no use in trying to rescue Rukia Kuchiki. It tore her apart, but the fact of the matter was that Rukia's reiatsu just didn't exist anymore. With every single step, tears hit the floor she walked on, until the Ogihci spun around and grabbed her by the throat.

"Stop your fucking crying!" He shouted at her, his face twisted in anger and pain.

_**What the fuck are you doing?! **_Ichigo screamed at the hollow from inside. _**Let her go you fucking asshole!!**_

_Let her go?! _Ogihci laughed back at him, but it was an angry, cold laugh. _Let her go?! What good is she?! Why would we care about this stupid girl when __**she's **__dying somewhere?!_

_**That's not how it fucking works, you dick!! She didn't do anything, let her go!!**_

Ogihci ignored him. "I SAID, stop your crying!!"

"G-gomen!" But she was so afraid that she kept crying, tears falling on his white hand.

"I SAID STOP IT!!"

"I CAN'T HELP IT!!" Orihime screamed at him, and his eyebrows shot up at the out of character-ness, but a split second later his angry expression was back.

"Don't talk to ME like that!" He began to laugh manically. "I'M the one that has your throat in his hands!"

Orihime looked in his eyes, searching for any remnant of Ichigo that could be just beneath the surface. "Kurosaki-kun…"

His face seemed to twist into pain once again, and his eyes widened in anger. "Ichigo this, Ichigo that! Kurosaki-kun this, Kurosaki-kun that! I am NOT-" he tightened his grip on her neck "-THAT BASTARD!!"

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered as she looked down at the floor, her eyes swimming with tears.

He looked at her downcast face for a few seconds, then unexpectedly dropped her.

_**You can't just **_**drop**_** her!!**_ Ichigo roared.

_Heh, count yourself lucky that I let her go at all!!_

Orihime looked up at the hollow with a puzzled expression on her face. "Why did you-"

"You're no fun to torment. You just take it, y'know? Besides, I need you to save Rukia, so that I can torment _her_." The hollow looked away, a scowl on his face, as though he was thinking of a strategy.

Inoue smiled slightly in spite of herself. _He looks just like Kurosaki-kun. _

_**Let. Me. Out. OF HERE!! **_Ichigo growled.

_Not a chance. I'm gonna win this time, King. Hey, I guess I'm the King now. Heheh._

_**Win **_**what**_**, you psychotic bastard?**_

_Ah, thanks, but psychotic is too nice a word._

"K-Kurosaki-kun-" she earned a glare from the hollow "-ah, sorry, uhm…can you please just send Ichigo back out here? Please?"

"Ahahah!! And why in the hell would I do that, you stupid girl?"

"Because he'll listen to reason!" she suddenly snarled. "Let him out!! If you don't, you'll be dragging us around looking for Kuchiki-san forever, and you won't listen to a word I tell you about how – about how she's - dead!" Her eyes glistened again as tears poured from her cheeks, and the hollow just stared at her. "Kuchiki-san is dead, and only Ichigo will listen to that-"

"You think you know him so well, don't you?"

Inoue frowned slightly. "Ex-excuse me?"

"You really do think he'd just accept her death? You don't think he'd go running down every single passage, crashing down every single door, and annihilating every single hollow, arrancar and espada until he found confirmation?"

"Of course he would! That's just who he is, but he'd at least realize that her reiatsu doesn't exist anymore!!" Inoue cried harder. "She's dead! She's dead! We couldn't-"

"Maybe her body's dead." Inoue stared up at him, and he looked right back at her. "Maybe she doesn't have any fight left in her. But while Sode No Shirayuki is intact, Rukia isn't dead!"

Inoue felt her heart begin to soar, but tried not to get her hopes up. "Kuchiki-san's zanpakuto? But how do you know if it's not broken?

"Because right before I took over Kurosaki, when I was in Zangetsu's world, I saw her. She's alive, and that means Rukia's alive. And I will _find her!_"

As he marched ahead, renewed vigor flowing from him like reiatsu, Inoue watched his form.

_Kurosaki-kun…am I losing you?_

---------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

"Hn? What's this?" a silver haired man spoke to himself, walking towards the two motionless bodies of a well-built man and a small woman. The stone floor that their bodies lay on was cold, and was stained red by the wounds from the woman.

The man brought his right hand up to his face, in a pondering sort of gesture. He was clad in his old shinigami hakama, which was covered in a long, white robe. The hilt of his zanpakuto was barely visible.

"Ah, Rukia-chan. I'm impressed that ya even managed to _suppress_ Alulueri," he smirked as he looked down at the young shinigami, who was lying beside the man. He turned his attention to the man's face. "And _you,_ Alulueri…I'm damn disappointed, ya know? Aizen had high hopes for ya. But…" he looked at the both of them.

The raven haired girl was dead. It was obvious to anyone who would lay their eyes on her that she was unlikely to wake up again.

As for the man, he seemed to be unconscious, the fingers on his right hand resting on the girls lips, and her head fitting into his neck.

"Aizen had high hopes for ya, Alulueri…but now, he has even higher hopes for the both of ya!"

---------------h-e-a-r-t----------------------

Eey, that was fun to write!! I hope you all liked that ;)

It's so much fun to write Ogichi. Idk why, it's just fun.

I can't believe the tiny, tiny number of us IchiRukiKaien fans out there!!

It's nice to believe I might convert people.

Review??

Ohoho, there's a BIG twist for the next chapter.

And SORRY for the inconsistency in this; when I wrote the first chapter, Nell hadn't turned into her espada form and proceeded to kick the shit out of Noitra, at the time the most recent manga chapter was when Noitra wanted to kick Ichi's ass.

Well!! Bye-cha.


	3. My Heart

_**Heart**_

_**Chapter 3 – My Heart**_

"_This heart, it beats, beats for only you_

_My heart is yours  
This heart, it beats, beats for only you  
My heart is yours (my heart, it beats for you!)  
This heart, it beats, beats for only you  
My heart is yours,  
This heart it beats, beats for only you (please don't go now, please don't fade away please don't go now)  
My heart, my heart is yours (please don't go now! Please don't fade away!)  
My heart is yours (please don't go now! Please don't fade away!)  
My heart is yours (please don't go now! Please don't fade away!)  
My heart is…(Please don't fade away…)"_

- My Heart by Paramore

-----h-e-a-r-t-----_  
_

Warmth. It seemed to spread from the pit of her stomach, rising to her chest and then to her throat, as she let out a yawn. Her eyes flickered. Why was it so warm? She had been lying on a cold stone floor, dying what must have been only seconds before. She also noticed that this cold, hard floor seemed to be soft, and warm…extremely comfortable. And hadn't she died on her back? Now she was breathing, lying on her right side.

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she noticed made her gasp.

"K-Kaien-dono!" His eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted. His hair was tousled and his chest rose and fell slowly. His body faced her, and for the first time she noticed a hand on her face, as if his fingers had just been on her lips.

This was an occurrence Rukia had grown used to years ago; mornings like these where Miyako Shiba had been hunting hollows for days at a time, away from Seiretei.

She watched his face, before she forced herself to rip her open eyes from his closed ones and tried to think rationally.

_I died._ A frown formed on her face. _When a soul dies, it becomes a Hollow or it ceases to exist…I think. _She propped herself up on her elbows and looked around, and saw that she was in Kaien Shiba's room. It was unmistakably his; although the bare floorboards and white walls were in common with every shinigami's room, there was the usual mess that could only mean Kaien Shiba had been here. Clothes strewn haphazardly across the floor, more clothes folded messily and thrown over a chair (which had upturned), and random, half empty sake bottles lying on their sides, barely stayed on the desk.

_In Karakura…in _that _world, they believed in a place called Heaven…if you were a good person, you went there…but Orihime thought that Heaven was a state where you went back to the happiest time of your life, I'm sure she said something like that once._

She looked back at Kaien's sleeping face. _Is this my heaven?_ She soon dismissed the thought. She had never really believed in that whole 'Heaven' thing – not Inoue's view, nor the one everyone else had told her about…which seemed to be some kind of big chair in the clouds. She had mentally snorted at that one while saying "Ohh, Heaven sounds great, Asano-kun!"

_So…what, then?_

"What you thinking about so early in the morning, Kuchiki?" She flinched slightly in shock at hearing his voice, and looked over her shoulder at the blue eyes, which were now open, and looking at her in a lazy manner.

"K-Kaien…Kaien-dono…" She couldn't believe it; it was as if it was all those mornings from so long ago being repeated. _How can he still be the same as before? Can't he remember what we've just come from?!_

"Eh? Ah, Kuchiki don't cry! Y'know I hate it when people do that! What did I say, huh?" Rukia hadn't noticed how badly the corner of her eyes had been stinging until tears flowed down her cheeks and landed on the white bed sheets. He frowned. "Kuchiki, what's wrong?"

"Kaien-dono…don't you remember?"

He gave her a confused look. "Eh? Remember what?"

It was in that moment that she realised what this was. She realised why Kaien was being like this, being the way he had always been back then, on those mornings. She realised why she was back here, back at this moment in time where she was truly happy.

She smiled. _I've been given a second chance. _She rolled back into the bed and layed next to Kaien, wrapping her small arm around his torso as his head found the space between her neck and shoulder. _And I won't ruin it this time._

"Remember what, Kuchiki?"

"Nothing, Kaien-dono."

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

He licked his lips in an agitated manner, his silver hair falling into his eyes as he looked down at two motionless bodies, lying side by side on the cold, white floor of Aizen's lair in Las Noches. Every now and then, he would pace back and forth for a few seconds, only to stop and look back at the girl's face, then his eyes would look at the older face of the young man lying beside her, and then without fail would trail back over the girl's small body and land on her face, his open eyes burning into her closed ones.

Dead. That's what she should have been.

He shivered slightly. _Why did you have to come here, Rukia-chan?_

"Gin." Ichimaru whipped round to see Aizen walking leisurely towards him, a contended smirk on his perfectly evil face. His eyes quickly became slits again and his mouth formed a wide grin.

"Aizen, 'sit nearly ready?"

Aizen stopped just a few feet before Gin and the two motionless bodies, sparing the bodies a glance before turning his attention to Gin. "They should be ready in a few moments, be patient."

Gin's grin grew wider, and a moment later, a dark skinned man wearing a white haori walked through the massive double doors, his dark hair flowing behind him, a visor covering his eyes.

"Aizen-sama, I apologize for my lateness. Have they awoken yet?"

"They should awaken in a few moments, Tousen."

Gin watched the girl intently out of the corner of his eye, looking for any muscle that might move, to see if her eyes might flicker sooner rather than later.

He had to ask. "What's gonna happen when they wake up, Aizen?"

"When they wake up?" Aizen smirked before replying, "When they wake up, Kurosaki Ichigo is as good as dead." He watched Gin from the side. Gin's face was uncharacteristically emotionless, as though he didn't think he was being watched, which he didn't.

A sudden noise was heard, like a gasp, and all three heads turned towards the two bodies on the floor. The girl's eyes flickered slightly, and her chest rose and fell as she began to breathe, but the raven-haired man was the first to push himself up with his elbows, blinking his blue eyes, a frown beginning to set in. He looked up to see the three ex-shingami before him.

"A-Aizen-sama! What am I-"

"You have been given a second chance, Alulueri. Do not _waste_ it."

"Aizen-sama…what about Shiba?"

Aizen laughed slightly. "He won't be bothering you anymore."

Aaroniero looked over at the girl beside him, whose eyes were beginning to open. "And Kuchiki?"

"She and Shiba are in the same place. I've sent them to a state of mind where there were completely at ease in order to throw them off. They don't have a clue about any of this. Although they are still in both your bodies, they have no chance of escape, and you won't even hear them, because they don't know anything is even wrong."

"What does that mean, Aizen?" Gin suddenly asked.

There was a few seconds of silence before Aizen turned to Gin and said the words which startled him. "What is wrong with you, Gin?"

"Whadda ya mean, Aizen?"

"I can only remember your eyes being open once before; and that was when you said goodbye to Matsumoto Rangiku."

His eyes soon turned to slits and his grin became fox-like. "An' where's the problem in tha', Aizen?"

"The problem is this, Gin; if you have a problem, solve it. I won't have you distracted during this time of war."

Gin's grin grew, if possible, wider. "Ain't got a problem Aizen, but if I did, I'd do as ya said."

"I should hope so. To answer your question; to put it simply, Shiba and Kuchiki are trapped inside their own minds."

The ninth espada looked up at him in slight shock, before a smirk appeared on his lips. He bowed before standing up. "Thank you, Aizen-sama."

"I-Ich…" a sudden whisper was heard, and all four heads turned to the girl, who was trying to push herself up with her arms, her eyes half closed and her eyebrows furrowed. "I-Ichi…go…" Suddenly her eyes darted open and she jumped to her feet, looking at the four men in front of her. "Wh-where…Who…what's going on?" Her voice sounded so confused and helpless, Alulueri couldn't help but feel slight (and well hidden) anger towards Aizen.

She looked up at Aizen, who was wearing a benevolent smile; _the same smile, _Gin noted, _that fooled Hinamori. _Aizen continued to smile at her in this friendly way, and asked kindly, "Do you know who you are, your name?"

"I…I am…I am…" Her shoulders shook and sobs racked her small body. "I- I don't know…who or…where I am…where is this place? Who are you?"

"I am Aizen Sousuke, and from now on, you are safe." The girl looked up at him, her large, violet eyes sparkling with hope. "You will serve me, and you will be safe in return."

The girl's scared expression soon turned to happiness. "A-arigatou, Aizen-sama!" She bowed, and then stood up on shaky legs.

"What's her name, Aizen-sama?" Alulueri asked.

Aizen looked at him from the corner of his eye before lazily replying, "You choose, Alulueri."

"W-what? Are you serious, Aizen-sama?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I have no business in such trivial things as names. Call her as you wish."

"Arigatou, Aizen-sama!"

"Also. Since I have used the soukyoku to bring you back to life, you'll find that your powers have been magnified drastically. For this reason, you have been ranked to second espada." It was then that Alulueri noticed the distinct "2" on his bicep. "Your pet is also much stronger than Kuchiki Rukia was."

"Y-your name…" Alulueri turned to look at the girl standing beside him. "Your name is Aaroniero, isn't it?" Alulueri raised his eyebrows, and even Aizen seemed surprised.

"Ne, Aizen, 'thought she couldn't 'member a thing 'bout what happened?" Gin said.

"She doesn't know anything about her life before this," Tousen suddenly spoke. "She is reacting this way simply because she was created again with the intention to stay with Alulueri at all times. Since she has been programmed this way, it's all she knows."

"Aaroniero…" He turned his head back down to look at her, her shining violet orbs looking into his blue ones, imploring and loving. "What is my name?"

His voice nearly caught in his throat.

"_When you die, your heart goes to your nakama."_

"_Kaien-dono…KAIEN-DONO!!"_

"_Ichigo…I leave you my heart…"_

"_Kuchiki…you still have my heart."_

"_My heart."_

"_My heart."_

"_My heart."_

As he pushed the images and words from his mind, he knew the answer to her question. He reached out and placed a hand on her raven head.

"Your name is Mai Kokoro."

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

A scream ripped through the air; a scream so heart-wrenching that even Ogihci Ikasoruk was shocked enough to stop in his tracks and spin around to stare with wide eyes at the flame-haired girl.

Pain ripped through her; her head must have been bleeding, her chest must have been torn out, her heart must have been battered and broken on the ground, as she dropped to her knees and once again heard that sound – that horribly inhuman, gut-wrenching sound – which she soon realised was the scream that had been ripped from her own throat. Shaking, she gripped where she imagined her heart must be, where the pain was, tears streaming from her eyes and splashing to the cold floor, a pain that couldn't be described, a pain that knew no comfort, knew no sense, yet made her want to die, for the first time in her life, she wanted to crawl up and just die –

There was another scream, but this time it wasn't hers; it was a lot deeper, much more masculine, and then that same voice shouted to her. "INOUE!!"

She saw two knees skid to a stop in front of her and felt two hands on her shoulders, and out of the corner of her eye saw a shock of orange.

Sobs racked her body. "Ish…Ishida…"

"What? Inoue, it's me, Ichigo -"

"ISHIDA-KUN!!" Pain flooded her heart, her soul, her entire being, something was wrong, so, so wrong, because this wasn't her pain – it simply _wasn't_, the determined face that flashed through her mind wasn't hers –

"Inoue, what's wrong?!"

"Ishida-kun…we have to…SAVE URYU!!" There was one last, heart wrenching scream of panic, and then the sounds of Ishida Uryu's pain subsided. "No…no, no, no!! NO!!"

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

Crimson hair that trailed over his bloodstained face, mingling in such a way that it was almost impossible to tell the messed up hair from the blood. Shinigami robes that were torn at the stomach, ripped at the arms. A scarred, uncovered chest that heaved for air, that tried to breathe.

A mouth that twitched into a smile – a smile that showed how grateful he was to be alive, so grateful that there was a chance, if a small one, that he could see Rukia again…because he had felt her reiatsu flare, simply minutes ago, as if she had awoken from whatever death she had fallen into.

Abarai Renji looked at what was once the body of Szayel Aporro Granz, thoroughly ripped apart by both Renji and Ishida.

Ishida.

Renji's eyes turned to the second body on the ground, eyes open, with no glasses, and Renji decided that they must have been lost in the fight. Blood dripped from his open mouth, and his ripped clothes and dirtied wounds made him look so weak; so much weaker than the proud, strong Quincy with a reason to fight.

_His reason to fight…_Renji surveyed his open eyes, looking for the blazing determination that had burned in them before, but it was no longer there. _His reason to fight, was Inoue-san._

Anyone else, anyone else standing where he was, anyone else looking down at a fallen comrade, friend, _nakama,_ would have shed some tears, perhaps even stayed there the entire time, wallowing in grief and despair.

_Umarekawaru koto wa dekinaiyo._

But he wasn't someone else. He was Abarai Renji, and he would make sure Ishida hadn't died for no reason, he would make sure that he himself would find Rukia, alive, and he would bring Inoue-san to Ishida's broken, battered body, and he would bring them all back out of Hueco Mundo, alive, as they'd sworn before.

He would find her, alive.

Rukia.

"_Renji…" A short, raven haired woman walked swiftly beside a tall, crimson haired man, neither taking their eyes from the path in front of them, looking straight at the distant sight of a white blur straight up ahead, but far away, so far away…_

"_What?"_

"_You're…you're sure about this, right?" Renji's eyes widened at the hesitation in Rukia's voice. Rukia never worried about anything, always confident in her actions, in her judgement. _

_He stopped walking and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, and she turned to him with wide eyes. None of them were looking at the Seiretei anymore._

"_Rukia. I thought you wanted this?"_

_Uncertainty flashed across her eyes, if only for a second, before she replied firmly, "I do, Renji. I just don't want to be the reason that you're roped into doing something you don't want to do."_

_Silence for several moments. "They wanted us to make something of ourselves, right?" His eyes shifted to the hill high above them, barely just seeing the stone markers he and Rukia had put there, time after time, until…_

"_It's just us now, isn't it, Renji?"_

…_until they were all alone._

"…_Yeah, Rukia. It's just you and me now." _

"_But…what if-"_

_He focussed his eyes back to hers, swimming with more pain than he'd ever seen in them before. "What if it happens again?" He understood her silence as confirmation. "What happened to them, Rukia, that can never happen to us now. Neither of us will die like they did. We're going to a better place now. We're going to the Seiretei now, huh? It's gonna be great, Rukia!"_

_He saw that his attempt to make her smile had worked, if only slightly._

"_I'll miss them, Renji."_

"_I know. I will too."_

"…_What if one of us-"_

"_We won't, Rukia-"_

"_You don't know that, Renji!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as memory after memory flooded her eyes. "What if one us dies, Renji? I don't want…I don't want to lose you!"_

_His mouth fell open slightly, for two reasons. Rukia never, ever, _ever _cried in front of them, even when she spoke about the years she'd spent alone before she'd met them, and she especially never showed love for him or any other of their friends._

_So without knowing what to do, he did the first thing he thought of._

_He held her, and let her cry._

"_Rukia, listen to me! I _won't _let you die, okay!" She looked up to him with shining violet eyes. "I won't let you die, Rukia! And I won't die either, okay? I'll keep myself alive just for you, right?" _

_She laughed slightly, smiling. "Are you kid-"_

"_It's a promise, Rukia." One look told her he was serious._

"_Thank you, Abarai Renji."_

Renji took one last look at his fallen nakama's face. _You did good, kid. When Inoue brings you back, I won't let ya hear the end of it._

He turned his back and began to walk away.

_It's strange, Rukia. I'll always keep that promise to you, but even after all we've been through…_

"My heart isn't yours."

-----h-e-a-r-t--c-h-a-p-t-e-r--t-h-r-e-e-----

Heyho :3 How are we all today??

I'm really, really pleased with these reviews!! 19 reviews in 2 chapters, that's not bad at all :D

So, I'd like to thank:

The-long-lost-strawberry

sins

xianghua 4 kilik - - Yo Lizzle:P  
Deleria-00

SAVADA

winter

? - - Thanks, randomer!! XD

Azure Teriques

Mai

-Of-The-Crow

ichirukifan

lu

ColourPearl

SyNemYoA

Jazzjackrabbit

Really, thanks a lot!! You all make my day x)

Soooo…you're all in for a few surprises.

You want spoilers??  
Then ask nicely :B

Or you can automatically win a spoiler IF you can guess what Mai Kokoro (Ruki's new name) means :3 But THAT should be rather obvious, given the overall theme of this chapter :P

Sorry for the sheer length of this chapter!! You must have died reading it.

- Wait-For-Sleep


	4. Bringing You Back

**_Heart_**

**_Chapter 4 – Bring You Back_**

_"I woke up in a dream today  
To the cold of the static, and put my cold feet on the floor  
Forgot all about yesterday  
Remembering I'm pretending to be where I'm not anymore  
A little taste of hypocrisy  
And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react  
Even though you're so close to me  
You're still so distant, and I can't bring you back"_

- With You by Linkin Park

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

_Counterbalance the sword. Quick slash. Retract. _

She ignored the spatter of blood that sprayed onto her cheek, not making the mistake of taking a hand off of her sword to wipe it off. The Menos reeled back, surprised by the strength that such a fast hit could hold, and promptly disintegrated as it hit the floor.

_Rip. Slash. Tear. _One by one they fell, a forest of a million Menos Grande being beaten down by just three amateurs.

Silence. There were no more roars from the Menos Grande, just the reiatsu that once would have overwhelmed her, but now were even beneath her level. All the same, these were the reiatsu of her nakama, and she had to find them, only then could the three of them save their friend.

She sheathed her sword and moved onwards, her two fellow fighters right beside her.

_We're bringing you back, Orihime._

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

His brown eyes narrowed. He faced upwards slightly, trying to pinpoint the exact location of those incredible reiatsu, his brown curls resting on the back of his shoulders, as his companion followed suit.

"Eh? Who da ya think tha' is, Aizen-sama?" Gin asked, his smile widening, his eyes narrowing even more.

His question went unanswered for several moments, every second that ticked away adding to his secret agitation, before a calm voice said, "the question is _what, _Gin…"

"Eh? Then whada ya think, Aizen-sama?" He instantly slipped back into his charade, yet dying to know just who that reiatsu belonged to.

"It's strong enough to belong to fifty captain level shinigami, yet that's not what they are at all…"

He resisted the strong urge to scream himself into apathy, and calmly said "So wha' are they then, Aizen-sama?"

The voice that answered him was not the voice he had been expecting. He had expected the calmness to pour from his superiors words, his self-assuredness evident through the confident way in which he smirked, but the voice that answered him was strained, sharp…

"They are a threat that must be taken care of."

…the voice that answered Ichimaru Gin was worried.

_No, _Gin later told himself as he walked towards his room, his eyes open and a frown in place. _Aizen never worries. _He continued to walk into his room, closing the door behind him and collapsing onto his bed.

_It's ironic, Ran-chan…pretending to be here when really, the only place where I ever really was is the one place I can't go back to._

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

"Inoue."

Tears streamed down her red cheeks, her eyes brimming with sadness and disbelief.

"Inoue." His voice was hoarse, sounding as sorrowful as Orihime felt. "Inoue, we have to keep going."

She clenched her knees, her fingernails drawing blood that blemished her white dress, although she didn't seem to care or notice.

"Inoue-"

"-Are we going to go and save Kuchiki-san, now?" Ichigo frowned slightly at the coldness and sharpness in her voice.

"Yeah…yeah, we are."

Inoue simply stared straight through him. Several seconds of silence passed before she spoke. "Why did you come here, Kurosaki-kun?"

The question caught him off-guard. "Wh-what?"

"I said, why did you come here?"

He looked at her, his amber eyes looking straight into hers, but hers looking right through his. "I came here to save you, Inoue. We all did."

She clenched her knees even more. "That's funny, Kurosaki-kun." He frowned. "It's funny, because I didn't come here to be saved. I came here to save all of you." She looked away as she stood up, standing right in front of him. "I came here to save all of you."

"…Inoue-"

"There are two of us, Kurosaki-kun. And there are two of them." She looked straight at him, a small smile finding it's way onto her face, and Ichigo was reminded suddenly of the old Orihime.

"Inoue, what are…" He looked her face, and in an instant he understood. "No."

"Listen to me, Kurosaki-kun. There are two of us, and two of them. I came here to save you, all of you. Go and save Kuchiki-san. I am going to save Ishida-kun."

"You can't do that, Inoue!" he nearly shouted. "He's…nobody can bring him back, Inoue. It doesn't matter how strong your healing power is, and it doesn't matter how much you want to, he's gone, Inoue."

Her head snapped up, and a slight smile formed on her lips. "Of course! You don't know, ne?"

He frowned. "Know what?"

"It's not a healing power, Kurosaki-kun. My power…wherever it came from, whatever reason I have it, I don't know…but my power is not to heal. It's to deny and reject." Ichigo's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows furrowing. "I can fix anything, just by using Shun Shun Rika, focussing on the object and denying that anything bad ever happened to it. And if I can do that, I can do it with people too!! I can save Uryu!" She laughed slightly, and Ichigo failed to notice how forced it sounded.

"Inoue…are you sure you can really do that? All I mean is, how did you work that out?"

"I didn't; Aizen told me."

His expression softened. "Inoue. Aizen is a liar. He's a liar, a manipulator…how can you believe him?"

"I don't; I believe Matsumoto-san!" She smiled.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Matsumoto-san…she trusts Ichimaru Gin, I know she does, even if she denies it and hates him, she believes him, right? And Gin trusts Aizen, so that means I do too. If I trust Matsumoto-san, and she trusts Gin, and he trusts Aizen, then I do aswell! You see?"

"…That's – that's so stupid!"

Orihime's eyebrows raised and furrowed. "Eh? Well…it makes sense to me…"

Ichigo refrained from hitting her. "Inoue, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to put all your hope in something that you can't be sure about."

"But I _am _sure, Kurosaki-kun!" Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I…I have to at least try! If I don't try now, that means that if I make it back home, I'll always be thinking, 'What if I could have saved him and didn't?' Kurosaki-kun…please…" Her tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Please, you have to let me try…"

Ichigo folded his arms and frowned. _What the hell am I supposed to do?_

_**Let me back out, of course.**_

_Like hell._

The hollow inside him screamed in anger, sending a painful throb through Ichigo's head. _**You're wasting our time! We're losing her, every single fucking second that you spend wondering what would be the right thing to do is another second of my time fucking wasted!**_

_You think I don't see that?! But all of us came here to save Inoue, and I'm not just about to throw her away on her own while I go after Rukia!_

_**Well I am!**_

_Don't you fucking dare!_

**_What else am I supposed to do?! You're going about this the entirely wrong way! Let me OUT!_**

_No way!!_

**_LET ME OUT LET ME OUT-_**

_-No fucking way, you psychotic bastard!_

"Kurosaki-kun, please?" Her voice broke Ichigo away from his inner argument.

"Inoue, I can't just let you go out there again. They'll take you back."

"I don't care, Ichigo!"

"Well I do!" He shouted, finally losing his temper. "We risked absolutely _everything _to come and save you, Inoue! If you're caught before you actually reach Ishida, then he'll have died for no reason!"

**_Look, KING. She's not our problem. Let her go save the Quincy. She's only holding us back._**

_There's no 'us' in this at all, you asshole._

**_Fine then, you and I._**

_That's the same thing! And anyway, keeping Inoue safe is just as important as saving Rukia right now!_

**_Not to you._**

…_What's that supposed to mean?_

**_Heh. Just why didn't you go and save Sado? He was still alive, still breathing. But Rukia-chan wasn't breathing at all. It would have made more sense to go to Sado. So why not him, eh?_**

_…Because. Chad's…different. He can survive anything-_

**_Bullshit. You don't think my little Rukia-chan can?_**

_What? _Your_ Rukia?_

The hollow seemed to contemplate his answer, and a few moments of silence engulfed Ichigo's mind. And then, **Of course. She's always been my Rukia.**

_What the hell are you talking about?! And why the hell are you so hell-bent on saving Rukia anyway? You're just a hollow!_

An unnerving laugh, a sickening jolt in Ichigo's stomach. **_We'll see about that, King._**

A sick feeling of dread formed in Ichigo's stomach. _Huh?_

The hollow didn't answer him afterwards, no matter how much he tried to make it respond. It seemed he had disappeared into Zangetsu's world.

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo turned to look at her, realising he hadn't heard a word she'd said. "Hn?"

"I said, I think Abarai-kun is coming."

Ichigo concentrated, eyes narrowing slightly. "I think you're right. Is he coming this way?"

"Yes, he is…I wonder why?"

_You're distant, Ishida-kun, you're so far away, but I'm bringing you back._

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

Amazing was the word she was looking for. She had been walking aimlessly through the trees for around an hour, happiness welling inside her as she once again experienced what she thought she'd lost years ago, trying to find a word that described what was happening. And amazing was the only coherent thing she could think as she walked through this place once again, side by side with the person she had least expected to see again. The sun shone, the sky was blue, the grass beneath her feet rippled in the wind, the birds –

Pain erupted in her forehead as a fingernail connected with it in a flicking motion.

"Kuchiki! Stop spacing out."

"K-Kaien-dono!" She gritted her teeth. "That was painful!"

"Well, you're being kinda antisocial, don't ya think? You're with everbody's favourite, Fukutaicho Kaien!" She glared up at him, but she could feel the corners of her mouth tugging upwards. "You could at least _try _to be in awe of me, you know!"

She turned her attention to the trees that were thinning ahead of them, glimpsing the hill that Kaien trained her on all those years ago. She smiled to herself. "I forgot how egotistical you can be."

"Hn? Egotistical? I'm not being bigheaded Kuchiki, I'm being honest – huh? Forgot?"

Silence engulfed their ears until Rukia spoke again. "It's nothing. Forget it, Kaien-dono."

They walked onwards for a few more moments until they reached the peak of Mt. Koifushi, standing at the edge. They were in the third district of West Rukongai, on the hill where Shiba Kaien first trained her, and had often trained her after realising that the vast space and secluded area made it the best place to teach Rukia to fight.

"Oi!" Two arms gripped her shoulders and shoved her towards the edge of the cliff before pulling her back sharply, causing her to scream slightly and turn to glare at the man behind her. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently. "What?! You were spacing out again."

"So?!" She slapped him on the arm, making sure it wasn't too sharp. "You'd have felt terrible if you hadn't pulled me back in time!"

He laughed softly as he looked over Rukongai. "Don't worry Kuchiki. I'll always pull you back in time." The next couple of minutes were spent in silence, both tired from their training earlier that morning, content to just sit in the grass and observe the world below them.

"Hey, Kuchiki."

"Hai, Kaien-dono?"

"You alright?"

She smiled brightly as she looked up at the sky. "I'm wonderful, Kaien-dono. Why?"

"You just seem even weirder than usual these past few days."

She inwardly frowned. _Past few days? Have I really been here that long? _She counted it up in her head, the number of mornings she had woken up in Kaiens room, the number of days she had spent going walks with Nii-sama and Renji – _wait. Nii-sama? Renji? _

"What's wrong, Kuchiki?" She turned her head to look at Kaien, and saw that he was frowning slightly.

"Just a headache, Kaien-dono," she said, thinking quickly.

"You want to go back?"

"N-no, it'll go in a couple minutes, I'll be fine." He nodded and left her to her thoughts, apparently satisfied with her answer.

_Nii-sama? _She felt a strange twinge in her stomach, almost like a feeling of dread mixed with confusion, the feeling when you realise something isn't quite right. _I…Why was I walking with Nii-sama? I…I don't even…do I even_ talk_ to Nii-sama? I only talk to Nii-sama when I am replying to something he says to me directly…but no, I've been talking to him…these past few days? Yes, I've been talking with Nii-sama…I've always talked with Nii-sama, haven't I? Or have we only begun speaking to each other these past few days? _Rukia refrained from hitting herself over the head to knock sense into herself. She had a terrible feeling that she just couldn't explain, but she knew something was wrong. _I _know_ that I talk to Nii-sama often, but for some reason…somehow, I feel as though barely any words have passed between us in my entire life… And Renji…I have not spoken to Renji in years now…I know I haven't, and yet I walked with he and Nii-sama just yesterday, and the day before that also!_

"Kaien-dono, I'm not feeling too well. May I be excused?" She decided to go and talk to Byakuya and Renji. Something was wrong, she could feel it.

"Eh? Course Kuchiki." He stood at the same time as she did. "Your headache?"

"Hai, Kaien-dono."

"I'll walk you back, then."

And somehow, as she walked by Kaien Shiba's side on her way back to the Kuchiki manor, she couldn't remember what she was so confused about.

_Did I forget something? It's almost as if…as if I woke up in a dream…_

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

"You're telling me you won't let her save him, Kurosaki?!" The red haired shinigami shouted at the shinigami representative standing before him.

"If she goes, she'll probably be caught before she can even find him!" Ichigo shouted back. "Besides, there's no guarantee it'll work, is there?!"

"Ano…are you forgetting, Kurosaki-kun? Grimmjow-san let me bring you back. I brought you back to life, Kurosaki-kun, remember?"

Ichigo for once was silent, not able to find an argument to what Orihime said. Several seconds passed before he spoke. "So…you can really do this, Inoue?"

"Hai, Kurosaki-kun."

And suddenly, Ichigo's chest began to sear. It was like sensing a reiatsu that was countless times stronger than his, which he realised a split second later that that was exactly what it was. He looked to Orihime and Renji, their wide eyes and gaping mouths mirroring his.

"What in the hell is that?!" He asked nobody in particular.

"I'm surprised you can feel that at all, Kurosaki. I figured the chance of you being able to sense a reiatsu like that was about as likely as you dying your hair a _normal _color, but hey – I stand corrected."

"Urusai! This _is _my real color! And you're one to talk, aren't you?!"

"This is real, _actually_!"

"About as real as your eyebrows!"

"Th-this is…" They both turned to look at Orihime, her eyes wide, a look of both wonder and horror on her face.

"Inoue?"

"Kurosaki-kun…can't you feel them? I…I'm so sure…"

"About what? Inoue, what is it?"

"Hey…I recognise that one," Renji spoke, suddenly serious. "It's like I know it from somewhere, but it's different to how I remember…"

"Hai, Abarai-kun…"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. _Am I missing something?_

"I definitely know that reiatsu…dammit! Why can't I tell?!"

"I…I can't really tell either, but…I know them, I know I do!" Orihime shouted, a rare expression of frustration crossing her features.

"Them?" Ichigo and Renji said at once, and then looked at each other in confusion.

"I can't pick out any of them, it's all a jumble to me," Ichigo frowned.

"What did you expect? You suck at this." Renji ducked a punch to the face. "I know there's more than one, but there's only one that I can feel really clearly…but I _can't _feel it clearly, if you know what I mean."

"You really are with the words today, aren't you?" It was Ichigo's time to block.

"I can feel all three of them," Orihime spoke softly, quietly. The two shinigami turned their attention to her. "Hai, there are three of them…I know them, I know I do… it's like when you go back to a place that you often went as a child, and most of it is very different."

"Yeah…I know what you mean, kinda," Renji spoke hesitantly.

Several moments went past before the overwhelming reiatsu seemed to die down.

"Eh…hey, I might not be the best at this," – Renji shot him a look that clearly said 'no shit Sherlock'- "But are they fading away or something? I can't feel them as strongly as I could before."

"Hai, I think they're going in the other direction, Kurosaki-kun."

Silence engulfed them once again, before Renji spoke. "If we're going to help Ishida, me and Inoue have to go _now_, Kurosaki."

Ichigo locked eyes with Renji. "Don't let her out of your sight."

"And when you find Rukia, don't let her out of yours." And at once, Renji and Orihime turned and began to run in the opposite direction, while Ichigo shunpoed onwards.

_I'm bringing you back to me, Rukia._

-----h-e-a-r-t--c-h-a-p-t-e-r--f-o-u-r-----

Hey hey hey! Hope y'all enjoyed that ;)

Thank you to all my reviewers. You're the mac to my cheese.

Have any of you seen any of the Bleach musicals?? I advise you to youtube them. They are _complete _genius. My brother walked in and started saying it all in a "Japanese" accent though…-.- ''

My brother is a fool. Well, whatever. He thinks it's stupid; I THINK THE BLEACH MUSICALS ARE GOD.

It's totally frickin awesome, man! They jump and dance about singing "BREEAACH!!" It made me laugh so hard.

Thanks again! And sorry for being a lazy arse! XP

Oh yeah, whoever guesses who the intruders are wins a spoiler xD

Much love, Wait-For-Sleep –mwah!-


	5. Smiles and Sunshine

**_Heart_**

**_Chapter 5 – Smiles and Sunlight_**

_"But my smile does only show one side of me  
And I can show you a little slice of everyone  
Laughing in the dark, I think your having fun  
The sunlight in your face that time  
Washes away all the grime  
Makes me forget just how much I hate you tonight."_

- For Sure by Lostprophets

--h-e-a-r-t--

She had known all along, really. She tried to delay it by drinking herself into stupors the first few weeks or so, and when that hadn't worked she had busied herself with paperwork. It was easy to see why her taicho was so worried about her, to see her change into someone that wasn't herself, avoiding people.

She had known all along. She had known ever since he had turned his face to her and opened his eyes fully to her for the first time, as if he was _seeing _her fully for the first time, and said those words.

"_You coulda kept holdin' on a lil' longer." _He had said it as though that was what she was _supposed _to do, as if _she _had failed, as if _she _was in the wrong, as if this was _her _fault…

Her fists clenched as she ran.

…As if it was _she _who had let _him _down, not the other way around.

That was the moment when she realised. That was when she knew…

She was sure her legs were shaking, but they didn't fail her as they carried her through the Senkaimon at a pace much faster than she had thought they were capable of. Her hell butterfly fluttered beside her loyally, managing to match her pace.

That was when she knew there was no home for her in the Seiretei, or Rukongai, or any part of Soul Society anymore. The only home she could ever have would be the place where Gin Ichimaru would lie dead at her feet.

She heard the sword being unsheathed, and stopped dead in her tracks. She had been so consumed by memories and thoughts that she hadn't even _seen_ the shinigami standing in front of her with his sword raised towards her, let alone _sensed _him.

When she was running alone, she had been so sure that she couldn't hear a thing. But now, without the sound of her feet hitting against the ground, and her breath caught in her throat, she realised that _this _was silence. The two shinigami stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, one with his zanpukuto raised in offence, the other with hers still at her waist in its' sheath.

"Matsumoto…" No matter how soft and quiet his voice was, it broke the silence in the harshest way. To Matsumoto, he might as well have screamed in her ear.

"Hitsugaya Taicho." She moved to walk past him but he blocked her way, his white hair falling into his once bright jade eyes as her looked down at her.

"No, Matsumoto." She sighed and looked him in the eye for the first time in three years, and was secretly shocked that she had to look _up _at him. He frowned down at her now, his trademark scowl on his face, but his eyes looking sad. She noted that the last time she had looked into them, they were as bright and full of life as they had always been, but now they were _dull, _and so sad.

Guilt washed over her. _Was I avoiding him so much, being so selfish, that I didn't notice how hard the last three years have been for him too?_

He continued to stare down at her, and she allowed a humourless chuckle to escape her lips. "I guess I shouldn't have expected any different, Taicho."

"You really did expect me to let you go to Hueco Mundo-?"

"-I have to go, Taicho!"

"-Don't interrupt me, _Matsumoto!-_"

"-Don't call me Matsumoto, as if I'm still your subordinate! You're not my captain anymore, we're _equal, _you can't tell what I can and cannot do!"

He looked down at her, and realised that this was the most emotional he had seen Rangiku Matsumoto in three years. Her eyes had once sparkled with happiness, _real_ happiness, not the fake laughter and smiles that she painted on her face each day in front of all the other shinigami. Those eyes once found good in the simplest of things. Now they only sparkled with unshed tears and anger.

He couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of relief. _She's finally dropped that mask that Gin taught her to wear. _

Silence engulfed them once again, before the white haired captain spoke again, his eyes burning into hers.

"If I'm really not your captain anymore, _Matsumoto Taicho, _then why do you call me taicho as if that is still what I am to you?"

And, for the first time in three years, Matsumoto couldn't smile convincingly and answer with a lie. In truth, her face was sore, and she was all out of lies. Instead she dropped her eyes from Hitsugayas' and tried to push past him once more, but was stopped as he once again stood directly in front of her, zanpukuto still pointed at her chest.

"I said _no_, Matsumoto. I am not letting you go to-"

"Taicho…please. I don't want to fight you…" Her head was bowed, but her right hand hovered over Heineko's hilt, as if waiting for a fight nonetheless.

"…You're so determined to go to Hueco Mundo that you would _fight me _over it?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice almost emotionless except for the traces of incredulity that nobody but Rangiku would notice.

"Yes, I am, but I'd rather not." She paused before she spoke again. "I have to get them out of there, Taicho." Hitsugaya frowned as he heard the sadness seeping into her voice. He knew that she missed them, that she was worried about them. "Hime-chan's a good friend of mine, and Renji and Rukia are as well, and Ichigo too. I…I have to help them."

"That's not your only reason for going to Hueco Mundo, is it Matsumoto?" Several moments passed, and he took her silence as confirmation. "Killing him will not make it easier, Matsumoto, nor will it be a wise decision to disobey the direct order of Yamamoto-sama."

"Who cares about his order…" Matsumoto mumbled to herself. "Stupid old fart. Who does he think he is, saying we can't go help our friends?"

Hitsugaya felt the corners of his mouth curling upwards. "Don't be disrespectful, Matsumoto."

Silence screamed in her ears once again as the seconds trickled past, before she spoke.

"Will I have to fight you or not, Hitsugaya Taicho?" She had meant the words to sound strong, had wanted to say them in a controlled voice, but it came out as a cracked whisper.

He looked down at her, her strawberry blonde hair covering her face as her head was bowed, her eyes downcast. "You didn't let me finish what I was saying, Matsumoto." Her head snapped up as she heard the sound of Hyourinmaru sliding into its' sheath, and looked into her ex-captain's face, confusion written on hers.

What is he doing? I thought he was going to fight me? Is he stalling, waiting for back up? Not that he needs it…

"I am not letting you go to Hueco Mundo _alone._"

_Your smile only shows one side of you, Gin. And now, now you've made me just the same._

--h-e-a-r-t--

"We're going to stay the night with Ururu and Jinta, old man."

Isshin Kurosaki looked up from his spot on the couch to look at his two teenage daughters, his attention directed at the darker haired twin as she spoke.

"You are? This is pretty last minute, Karin." He stood from the couch and walked towards his two daughters, who were standing at the front door, as if about to step out any minute. "I don't see any bags."

Yuzu bit her lip nervously and glanced at Karin, whose determined expression didn't waver.

"We took our stuff over there earlier. Our pyjamas and clothes for tomorrow are there already."

A chuckle escaped their fathers' lips. "Planning ahead, are you?"

"Yeah. We figured that we wouldn't wanna be dragging bags of stuff over to Hat and Clogs' place in the dark all by ourselves, so Ururu and Jinta helped us take our stuff over there earlier," Karin said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Funny, I didn't see them," Isshin said nonchalantly, but staring his daughter straight in the eye.

"You were asleep. Remember, you were up all night at the clinic last night," Karin replied just as casually, but her father's secret scrutiny was beginning to make her have second thoughts about what she and her sister were about to do.

There was silence for a few seconds before Isshin smiled brightly and said, "You're right, Karin. I must have just been sleeping when they were here."

"Yeah. What else would you be doing, you old goat?" Karin rolled her eyes, but inside she was worrying. _What if he can see through my act?_

"Well, when are you coming back tomorrow?" Isshin asked casually.

It was a simple question, really. If he had asked her any other day, any other time, Karin would have been able to answer easily, smart ass comment and all. But when she opened her mouth to speak, she found that she couldn't form the words.

"…We…" her voice cracked, and then died altogether.

"We don't know, Otou-san," Yuzu said firmly, and Karin glanced at her in surprise. Yuzu, who had been so nervous, so worried that she hadn't said a word before now, looked back at her sister, her mouth set in a firm line.

Isshin looked between his daughters for a few more moments before he broke the silence. "I see."

Yuzu bit her lip. _I can't believe we're lying to Otou-san._

_He knows. _Karin clenched her fists. _He knows what we're really doing._

The silence seemed to last forever.

"Well, take care of each other," Isshin finally said as he forced his exaggerated smile onto his face.

"We will, dad," Karin said as she looked at him and, for the first time in years, gave him a small smile.

"You'd better be off. You don't want to keep your friends waiting."

"Yeah, you're right. Bye, old man."

Yuzu bit her lip even harder as her eyes began to prick. _No. I can't cry. I can't cry. I won't cry in front of Otou-san, not now. _But in a heartbeat, she had thrown herself into her fathers arms.

"Tou-san…tou…" Her shoulders shook as Isshin held her tightly.

"Hey, c'mon Yuzu…don't cry…after all…" Isshin looked straight at Karin, who watched him from the doorway, and smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"Dad!" And the next thing Isshin knew, both his daughters were clinging to him, hot tears streaming from their eyes and their faces buried in his chest. He took one of his arms from Yuzu's back and placed it around Karin, and rested his head on theirs. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but when Karin pulled away and forced a sarcastic glare on her face, he knew that it hadn't been long enough.

"Stupid old goat, you made us late…Jinta'll be worried sick about Yuzu now," she said, a slight smirk managing to make its way onto her lips as she walked towards the front door.

"H-hey!" Yuzu exclaimed loudly, blushing slightly as she laughed. She turned around to face her father, a sad smile replacing her blushed cheeks. "Bye, Otou-san." She turned away and walked towards her sister.

Karin gave her father a small wave. "Later, old man."

And she closed the door behind herself and Yuzu, as Isshin closed his eyes while both sadness and pride filled his mind. _They've both grown so much in the last three years…ever since Ichigo left for Hueco Mundo. _And for the first time in years, Kurosaki Isshin allowed himself a real smile, because he was proud of his children. All three of them.

The cold air dried the tears on their faces as they walked onwards in silence, out of their street, round the left corner, past Arisawa Tatsuki's dark and empty house and towards Urahara Shoten.

Suddenly, Karin couldn't feel her sister walking beside her anymore. "Yuzu?" She turned and saw her several feet behind, crying silently. "Yuzu…"

"He knew, Karin-chan. He knew." Her voice was cracked and broken.

Karin sighed. "I thought that too, Yuzu, but how could he possibly know? There's no way he could know about this stuff."

"I don't know how he knows, Karin-chan, but he does, and we hurt him!" More tears made their way down Yuzu's cheeks.

"Yuzu…even if he does know…even if we did hurt him…" Karin closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. "We didn't have any other choice."

Yuzu sniffed loudly. "I know, Karin-chan. It'll be worth it, won't it?"

Karin rolled her eyes, trying to make her sister feel better. "Of course it will be, idiot. We're going to help Ichi-nii. Come on." Yuzu nodded, a small smile finding its way to her lips, and they walked on again. "Yuzu…"

"Hai, Karin-chan?" Yuzu looked at her sister and saw that she seemed to be struggling to say something.

"Do you ever feel…are you ever angry at Ichi-nii? For all this?" Karin felt guilty even thinking it, and it showed on her face.

"No," Yuzu answered without hesitation. "He went to Hueco Mundo for a reason, Karin-chan. He went to save his friend. We would have done the same."

"That's true, I guess," Karin shrugged.

"Karin-chan." Yuzu smiled softly. "Are _you _angry at nii-san?"

As they walked, the only sound was the whispering of the wind and their footsteps falling on the concrete, before Karin sighed. "Yeah, Yuzu. He left us. And he makes dad worry, and he makes you worry, and hell, he even makes _me _worry. It's been three years, Yuzu, and he has absolutely no idea how much has fallen apart since he's been gone. He left us here to take care of all the hollows leaking out of Hueco Mundo, while he gets to parade around Las Noches having fun with his friends."

"Karin!" Karin looked at Yuzu in surprise. "Don't talk like that, as if he's having a great time! He must be having it worse than us. Just because Urahara-san makes it out to be a joke, that doesn't mean that it is, Karin. Please…" Yuzu's stern expression softened. "Nii-san is doing what he has to. And he's doing it for us, too. Please, don't hate him for it."

Karin hugged her sister. "I could never hate Ichi-nii, Yuzu. Never. I love you both." She didn't tell her sister that she did still feel slightly bitter about it, though. She pulled away and they continued to walk through the street, then turned into an alley, a shortcut they always used to get to Urahara Shoten. Suddenly, something clicked in Karin's mind. "Hey…when you hugged dad…he told you not to cry because…"

Yuzu frowned slightly. "What is it, Karin-chan?"

"…He told you not to cry because… 'after all, I'll see you soon.' "

Yuzu looked at her sister and saw that she was thinking hard about something. "So?"

"If he knows what's going on, which I think he does…what exactly does 'I'll see you soon,' mean?"

The twins shared a confused look and turned their heads back to the direction of Urahara Shoten, their feet carrying them soundlessly.

_I think you _are _having fun with all those espada, though, _Karin smirked.

None of Isshin and Masaki's children ever walked in or out the front door again.

--h-e-a-r-t--

"DAMMIT!!" Ichigo skidded to a stop, panting heavily, his hands on his knees. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead and splashed to the floor like tears.

_**Way to go, King. You've out shunpoed yourself.**_

_Shut up! Nobody asked you! _But Ichigo realised the hollow was right. He had been using shunpo for what felt like hours, and his legs were shaking slightly. _Damn…just how big is Las Noches that I've been running through here all this time and I'm still barely anywhere?!_

_**That's what ya get for running about without a destination, idiot.**_

_I have a destination, you stupid fucking hollow!_

_**Oh? Where are we headed, exactly?**_

_Um…_Ichigo scratched his head thoughtfully. _Wherever Rukia is…?_

Ogihci deadpanned on his comfortable seat on the side of one of the skyscrapers in Zangetsu's world. _**Are you fucking stupid, King?! You can't even sense her?!**_

_I stopped sensing her ages ago! Why else would I be so fucking worried?! Besides, it's not like _you _can sense her reiatsu either, you hypocrite!_

Oghici frowned as something occurred to him. _**Y'know, King…that's not the only thing you should be worried about.**_

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. _Eh?_

**_Don't ya think it's kinda weird, how you've been trampling your way through Las Noches for hours, and no Espada has come to stop you yet, King?_**

Ichigo frowned slightly. _Yeah…that _is _kinda weird, actually…_

_**Don't you see?! **_Oghici hissed. _**You're running around pointlessly, expecting to just see Rukia around the next corner and not thinking properly! This is exactly what they expect of Kurosaki Ichigo, and you're playing right into their plan, whatever it is!**_

Oghici wasn't expecting the response he got.

_Che. Like I care if this is a trap. Some stupid trap, don't you think? If they do eventually come to try and beat me down, then I'll cut them back. Whatever plan they could possibly come up with, I'll break through it. While they've got Rukia, I've got resolve to keep going._

Oghici snorted. _**'****Resolve to keep going'? Watch out, King. Hallmark knows that you go into their stores and steal lines from their cheesy ass cards…and they're ****pissed.**_

_Urusai! And besides, what else am I supposed to do? Turn back and go home? Stand still until some Espada comes by to waste my time? This is the only thing I ca-_

**Z-Zangetsu? **The new voice interrupted Ichigo's train of thought. A voice so familiar that Ichigo's heart skipped several beats. **Oh. It's just ****you, ****Ogihci. **

_R-Rukia?!_ Before Ichigo could stop himself, a smile broke out on his face, incredulity showing in his voice. _Rukia, how the hell are you in Zangetsu's world?!_

**_Calm down, King. We're not that blessed._**

**What exactly is that supposed to mean, you mere ****hollow****?!**

In Zangetsu's world, Oghici rolled his eyes as he stared at the Zanpukuto spirit in front of him, her shock white hair spiky at the ends, her skin porcelain and her lips blood red, and a matching corset and tattered floor length skirt to match. Her violet eyes glared right back at him.

He looked down to her through his black eyes and orange irises with a calm face. **_King, meet Sode No Shirayuki._ **

_Huh? Rukia's zanpukuto? How the hell did she get in Zangetsu's world?!_

**_How the hell should I know, King? I'm just a freeloader here._**

_That's not good enough!_

**_You don't wanna hear my real theory on it, King._**

_What's that supposed to mean?!_

**_Well, in my honest opinion…I think the reason Shirayuki can come and go as she pleases is cause of me and my little Rukia-chan's special bond…_**

_W-what?! What the fuck are you talking abou-_

**Excuse me. I'm standing right here. **

**_Yeah King, you should come join the party._**

_…I don't trust you._

**_Oh, come on. What could I possibly pull? As if I'd try anything with Shirayuki here._ **He smirked down at her.

Sode No Shirayuki looked at him with one eyebrow raised. **As if I could ever be shocked by anything you'd do?**

**_Aren't you scared, just a little-?_**

And suddenly Ichigo couldn't hear them anymore.

_Uh…hello? Any hollows or Zanpukuto there?_

Nobody answered him, and the silence rung in his ears.

For the first time in a long time, Ichigo was alone in his own mind. And it was such an amazing feeling that he couldn't help but laugh to himself, even though he was in such a dark place.

_Yeah, this is great fun._

--h-e-a-r-t--

She frowned up at the grinning hollow. "I can't hear Kurosaki anymore."

"That's cause I blocked him out, Shirayuki. He can't hear us, and we can't hear him." He grinned down at her, showing far too many teeth in her opinion. If she wasn't the zanpakuto of Kuchiki Rukia, she might be afraid.

But she stared right back up at him, looking at him almost lazily. "Why did you do that?"

He sat down on the side of the skyscraper and patted the spot in front of him, where Shirayuki sat without hesitation. "So we can talk, of course." His voice suddenly took a bitter tone. "Or would ya have rather spoken to Zangetsu?"

"He's always preferable to you," the zanpakuto spirit said coldly, but not without a small smirk on her lips. "But…" she surprised Ogihci by looking away from his eyes and instead concentrating on the concrete she was sitting on.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked, hiding his genuine curiosity. "Lost for words, are we?"

In a flash he was knocked backwards by the impact of her kick as it connected with his chest. "Don't get smart with me, hollow!" she said angrily, but in the next instant Sode No Shirayuki found herself pinned to the skyscraper, and felt cold, white fingers wrap around her throat, squeezing the breath out of her slightly.

A snarl ripped from Ogichi's throat. "Then don't get high and mighty with me, zanpukuto. Because that's all you are, y'know. You only exist because Rukia does."

"Look who's talking," she hissed back at him, her eyes narrowed and burning into his.

Several moments passed as they glared at each other, eyes daring the other to look away, before Shirayuki's unearthly eyes softened, but didn't waver from his face.

"I'm glad you reacted so typically. If you hadn't, I really would have forgotten how to act around you…I was already beginning to…I started forgetting how to talk to you…" She trailed off as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the concrete, looking more peaceful than he had ever seen her in the whole time she had been visiting Zangetsu's world.

He frowned, and if he hadn't been a hollow with no humanity he just might have, _might have_, been concerned. "What the fuck are you rambling about?"

She only frowned softly, her smile dropping from her lips. "It's been so long. I nearly forgot how sick you really are. It's been so long since I've seen you…"

A soft chuckle and a sharp smirk escaped his lips, as his eyes seemed to dance. "You can't even survive three days without me?"

Her eyes snapped open and she pushed herself from the ground, Ogihci taking his hand from her neck as if it burned him. She stood on her feet and looked up at him as he stood in front of her again, her white eyebrows furrowed and her porcelain face fixed in a confused expression. "Three days, did you say?"

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" He rolled his eyes impatiently, not daring to show his concern – no, curiosity – at her actions. "Yes, three days." She just continued to stare up at him, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, it was beginning to get to him. "We last saw each other three days ago. You came to me, it's how me and the King know Rukia's still alive."

It felt like an eternity as she looked up at him, her violet eyes boring into his black and yellow ones, before words escaped her blood red lips.

"It hasn't been three days, Ogichi…it's been three years."

There was silence for several moments, until his maniacal laughter filled the air and then escaped it just as quickly. "What the fuck are talking about now, you stupid bitch?"

"You feel that it has been three days? Only three days?" He nodded, a frown crossing his face. Shirayuki sighed and looked at her feet before looking back up at him. "It has been three years to Rukia and I, and…and she can't…"

"Verbal diarrhoea again?" He smirked as she glared up at him, but for some reason he instantly regretted it when he saw the seriousness in her violet eyes.

There was silence between them as she looked down at the floor, her small white hands curled into fists. It was so hard for her to try and say this to him, to sink so low as to ask this of a hollow.

"I need your help."

"Anything," he said without hesitation, his voice soft and yet still thick with hatred for the soul standing before him.

_But somehow, I don't hate you as much as I usually do, tonight._

"She…Rukia can't wake up, Ogihci. I suppose I should tell you the whole story." She looked up at him. "It started with a heart…"

--h-e-a-r-t--

When she sleeps, her dreams are black. All they are is darkness encased in darkness, with the occasional porcelain skinned, white haired, crimson lipped version of whom she thinks must be some half-forgotten version of herself…

In her more aware states of dreaming, she knows that this is the spirit of her zanpakuto. Whoever it is, however, is always telling her to get out, to wake up, to remember, but all she can do is cry in confusion and force herself to wake up in Kaien-dono's arms, where he soothes her and chases her worries away until the next night, where she lives through the dream again.

But not tonight.

_"Rukia!" She turned round to smirk at him as she ran, his schoolbag tucked under her arm as she raced through a strangely familiar stretch of grass, which for some reason she was sure was a part of a place called Karakura Park. "Rukia, you stupid midget, get back here!"_

"_Nope, not this time…" she said a name, but it was instantly forgotten. "This is training. You have to get your bag back, without using shunpo." However, the mischievous shine in her violet eyes betrayed her serious tone of voice._

"_What?! You're making that up!" he shouted as he raced after her, secretly amused although his face was set in a frown._

"_No, Strawberry-kun, it's true." She knew she had only used the name to aggravate the boy. "If you get faster than _me _by running normally, just think how much faster you'll be when you use shunpo."_

"_What a load of shit! Give me my bag back, you stupid little midget!"_

"_Run faster, then!" she shouted back to him, a laugh escaping her lips as she crossed where the grass ended and the concrete began, and ran up the stairs at the end of the path just as the boy made it past the grass. The sky was made of brilliant shades of pink and orange, and blue scattered throughout, and the sun blinded her eyes occasionally as she ran. As she made it to the top of the stairs, she saw that she was right at the top of the park. She turned around to lean over the railings, where she could see the whole of Karakura, and noticed that the sun was setting. _

_She gave up all ideas of tormenting the boy who was running towards the stairs, but still held his schoolbag closely to her chest with both arms crossed over it as she looked out at the sunrise. The dimming sun shone on her skin and face, making her eyes sparkle in a way they had forgotten how to, and she smiled as she basked in the warmth of the sun, realising just how happy she really was. _

_She blinked, noticing that the boy wasn't there with her, and he should have made it up by now. She was faster than him, but not so fast it would take him ten minutes for him to catch up with her. _

_She tore her eyes from the setting sun and looked down over the railings, and saw the boy standing there, looking up at her, but his face was a blur that she instantly disregarded. They said nothing, but continued to stare at each other, until the silence began to get to her._

"_What? Is there something on my face?" _

_He didn't take his eyes away from hers as he softly said, "Just the sun."_

"Rukia..."

"I-Ichi…go…"

"Rukia." There it was, that voice again, that voice that automatically made her see that image in her head; the amber eyes, the orange hair…but it was only in these times that haunted the moments between sleeping and waking that she could remember him, that she saw his face, that she heard his voice.

She felt someone nudging her, and she opened her eyes to see Shiba Kaien's icy blue ones looking down at her in concern.

She breathed out, not knowing if it was in relief or despair. Was she safe in his arms, or was she trapped in them? "Kaien-dono."

"That dream again?" She nodded vaguely, although she knew that this was a different dream to her usual ones. It hadn't felt like a dream. It had felt so real. Kaien held her in his arms for a few moments longer before he spoke again. "You're still saying that name, y'know. Are you sure you don't know him?"

He felt her shrug. "I don't know, Kaien-dono…I've…" Her raven hair tickled his lips slightly as she tried to express what she was feeling. "I feel like I've forgotten something very important…and it feels as though you've always been around, as if we've never been apart since the day we met, but I _know _you were gone for a long time…I can't explain how, but…"

He silenced her with a kiss on her forehead. "I was never gone. C'mon, Kuchiki. How could I ever leave you?" She smiled up at him, but a couple of seconds later the smile vanished and was replaced by a frown and a faraway look in her eyes.

"But you did, Kaien-dono…I _know _it." She frowned to herself, trying to make sense of it all. It was so confusing. She glanced out the window, and judging by the sky outside she guessed it could only be around 5am. "Kaien-dono…"

"Hn, Kuchiki?"

"Nii-sama…and Renji…"

"What about them?" He stroked her hair, frowning slightly, worried about her. She hadn't said things like this in three years, and it was strange to hear her talk about it again.

She pulled away from him and sat up in bed to look into his eyes. "Please, Kaien-dono…think. Nii-sama and I…look how comfortable we are with each other. Look how good friends we are."

"So?" He propped himself up on his elbows and continued to look up at her.

"We were _never _like that…where we? I remember…I remember nii-sama being so cold towards me, and he never spoke to me unless he had to. We never even spoke during dinner. And now look at us; when did his attitude so suddenly change, and more importantly, _why?_" She looked out the window and pursed her lips as she thought.

The captain of the thirteenth division continued to look at her as he thought, before it suddenly dawned on him.

"Kuchiki…" Rukia tore her eyes from the sky outside and looked back down at him. "I used to call him a priss. I remember it. But look at the way he acts…he's anything _but _a priss. He's funny, he's carefree, and he treats you great. Why would I have ever called someone like that a priss?" They continued to look at each other before he spoke again. "I think…I dismissed what you were saying when you first brought it up, Kuchiki, but I think…I think you might be onto something here."

She nodded. "There's more." He pulled himself up and sat in front of her, gesturing for her to continue. "Renji. Renji and I had a fall out when I was adopted into the Kuchiki family, and we didn't speak to each other for years. And then suddenly, three years ago, we were just like we were in our Rukongai days. And I certainly don't remember making up with him."

Kaien frowned as he looked at her. "That's right. I remember it too…years ago, not that long after you joined the Gotei 13. You told me about Renji."

And then Kaien noticed his haori lying crumpled on the floor. "And…when did I become Taicho of the Thirteenth? I know I'm taicho, but I don't remember my promotion or anything."

"And I wasn't a fukutaicho, at least, I don't think I was…was I even a seated officer?" Rukia looked at him wide eyed.

Kaien looked back at her, and slowly shook his head. "I can't remember. But Ukitake was sure as _hell _not a third seat."

They sat in silence for what must have been ten whole minutes, each wrapped up in their own thoughts, before Rukia spoke again.

"But…if all this is so wrong…then why are we so happy with the way things are?" Agitation was laced through her voice, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusedness.

He looked back at her, and raised his hand to stroke her hair. And suddenly, something made sense to him. "Because all of this was what we always wanted, Kuchiki. You wanted to get on well with Byakuya. You missed Renji. You wanted to be a seated officer. I wanted to be more than a fukutaicho, and I wanted Miyako to never be here when we were together. Isn't it convenient, how she's always training or on a mission when we're like this?"

Rukia thought about what he had said, before nodding slowly. "You're right, Kaien-dono…but…how can this be happening? And why does nobody else see it?"

Kaien pulled her close to him and laid them both back down. "Maybe it's just the two of us, Kuchiki. I don't know. But should we really be complaining? I think we have it pretty damn good here."

He relaxed and closed his eyes, as Rukia continued to look at him. "How do you mean, Kaien-dono?"

"Think about it, Kuchiki. Is there really anything wrong? It's as if someone waved a wand and gave us everything we ever wanted, gave us everything that could ever make us happy."

Rukia looked out the window, at the half moon shining in the lightening sky, and suddenly felt something jolt through her heart. But whether it was sadness, or longing, or a bit of both, she wasn't sure. "For you, maybe."

He heard the tone in her voice, and opened his eyes to look at her. "What do you mean, Kuchiki? Aren't you happy here?"

"I was. I was so happy, Kaien-dono. Being here with you, being friends with Renji, feeling like nii-sama really is a brother, being such a high rank. But then I…I began to see his face again…"

Kaien frowned up at her, not liking where she seemed to be going. "Whose face? That guy you mention when you wake up sometimes?"

"I can't remember…I know his name, I know I do. In the state of mind between sleeping and waking, I hear his name and I see his face. When I'm awake, it's a blur. All I can remember are shades of bright orange, and strawberries, although I know that last one doesn't make any sense whatsoever." Kaien raised an eyebrow, but quickly dropped it in case she turned her head to look at him, but she never did. She just continued to stare out the window while he looked up at her, worrying silently.

"Does it really matter who he is, though?" Kaien asked. After all, he didn't want her to get herself upset over unnecessary things.

Rukia smiled softly to herself. "Probably not." And then the smile quickly faded. "But…it's like I'm missing something that's a part of me. As if I left it somewhere, in some other world, and I can't be myself until I have it back." She sat up, still looking at the sky outside. "I don't know anymore, Kaien-dono. Of course I'm happy here, a lot. But I'm not completely whole."

Once again, silence engulfed them for several minutes.

"Am I insane, Kaien-dono?"

"About as sane as I am."

"That really doesn't help." She slowly got out of bed and stretched, and picked her haori from the floor.

"Eh? Kuchiki, where you going at this time?!" Kaien asked as she pulled it back on and headed for the door.

"I'm going to see Renji, Kaien-dono." Her voice was determined, and he knew he couldn't make her change her mind, but he tried anyway.

"At this time? You'll start rumours if someone sees you. Can't you just talk to _me_ instead?" he asked her, slightly playful but mostly serious.

"No, Kaien-dono. I want to see Renji. I _need _to see Renji." And without a backwards glance, she walked out the door of the Thirteenth Taicho's sleeping quarters and shut it softly behind her.

_I just want you to see the sunlight on my face, again._

--h-e-a-r-t--c-h-a-p-t-e-r--f-i-v-e

It's very, **_very _**important that you read this.

Sorry, sorry, sorry, for two things. I'm sorry it took so damn long, and I'm sorry this chapter took so damn long for you to read. Not including this authors note, this chapter is like, fifteen pages on word document. Oo-er.

I quite like this chapter though, I think. I'll admit it, I do actually really like my scene with Ogihci and Shirayuki. To my knowledge, nothing like that has ever really been done before, so I'm glad I managed to make it original.

Also, I've completely given up on the Bleach anime, for the moment at least. Why? Because this filler arc is made of utter fail. It sucks. I understand the purpose of the filler arc is to allow the manga to get a move on, but… _seriously. _They could have picked a better storyline. I don't give two shits about Princess Bug-Eyes and some old man that wants to kill her so he can be the princess instead. Yes, the old man wants to wear her little pink dress and stupid big hat. I kid you not.

I've not seen the last six or so episodes of the anime because it sucks too much, and I won't start watching them again until it's back to the Hueco Mundo/Las Noches arc.

OMGG, I can't wait for the anime to start with the Pendulum arc. It's going to be incredible.

But, I have just one more thing to say.

I'm kinda worried that not enough people like this story. I really don't want to stop writing this, because I love writing it, but…

I got **_fifteen_** reviews for chapter one. I was absolutely thrilled. Then chapters two and three each got **_twelve_**, and I was over the moon. Then, chapter four got - - **_five_** reviews. That's not even _half _of what the two chapters before it got. What's with that?

No, I'm not meaning to sound like a review whore. It's just, reviews show some actual feedback, and I need that feedback to see what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.

So, can someone please get back to me on this, and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong? Thank you. :)

Happy Bleaching, everyone.

- Wait-For-Sleep xx


	6. Bloodstained Hurricane

**READ THIS BIT!**

Seriously, thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed last time, there was some really good advice there in that I realised the main reason people are losing interest is because it's usually so long between updates. So from now on I'll be doing a short recap before the start of the next chapter. Thanks for all your patience. :)

_**Recap**_

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto dramatically leave for Hueco Mundo, _shock!_

Karin and Yuzu are about to leave for Hueco Mundo as well, _shock!_

Sode No Shirayuki materialises in Zangetsu's world to ask Ogihci for help, and also explains that time works differently in Hueco Mundo, and for every day there it's a year in the human world and Soul Society, and is about to tell him what's happened to Rukia. _Shock!_

Rukia and Kaien realise that not everything's quite right in their perfect little world, and Rukia decides to go pay Renji a visit. _Shock!_

Also, while Ichigo is away to save Rukia, Renji and Inoue go to save Ishida. That's important guys ;)

So enjoy and try and give feedback! ;D

_**Heart**_

_**Chapter Six – Bloodstained Hurricane**_

_You walk on like a woman in suffering  
Won't even bother now to tell me why  
You come alone, letting all of us savour the moment  
Leaving me broken another time  
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane  
Leave me alone, let me be this time  
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption  
I don't want to mention, the reason I know_

- Stricken by Killswitch Engage

------h-e-a-r-t-----

"Ready?"

The youngest twin looked up at the hat and clogs wearing grin of the shop owner, without a trace of hesitation on her face. She looked over at Yuzu, who had the same determined expression in her eyes, and then nodded as she looked back over at the ex-taichou of the twelfth division.

"Ready."

Urahara Kisuke nodded back at her, grinning wider than before. "Then go for it!"

In a flash he had opened the garganta, and without a glance back at the underground training room and its occupants, Karin ran straight through, with Yuzu right beside her.

Silence ensued for the next ten seconds before Urahara closed the garganta, a noise like a suction vacuum ripping through the air before it disappeared into nothing but spirit particles.

"You seem pretty happy for someone sending two teenage girls to their deaths," a lazy voice reached his ears. He turned and saw Ururu and Jinta standing side by side, Jinta now nearly at the same height as him and Ururu only a little shorter. Over the last three years, Jinta had shaped into a young man who looked somewhat like an un-tattooed Abarai Renji, while Ururu looked more or less the same as always, give a few inches in height and overall teenage development. "Or d'you have something up your sleeve?"

Urahara let a dry chuckle escape his lips, which only the cat circling his ankles could tell was cracked and full of false reassurance, before he said, "Of course I do Jinta. Don't underestimate me."

"What's the plan?" Jinta asked, his arms tucked behind his head in an effort to look as nonchalant and carefree as possible.

The shopkeeper turned back to look at the space where the garganta had been only moments ago, before replying, "What makes you think I have one?"

Jinta's eyes widened. "Boss, you've gotta have a plan!"

"No. I've got two people who worked to the bone to achieve the highest strength possible, and they did it. Now they're fighting with the powers and strength they earned, and they're gonna do better than even they realise." He turned to look back at Jinta, a wide grin on his face. "You can't do much better than that."

"What about Tatsuki-chan?" Ururu's soft voice broke through the conversation.

"She's fine, and no doubt Karin and Yuzu will end up fighting alongside her."

Several moments passed in silence before Tessai's voice broke through the air from above, in the store. "Jinta! Ururu! Finish cleaning up!" Ururu silently made her way to the ladder with an eyerolling Jinta following behind her, and they ascended to the shop above, leaving Urahara alone with the careful stare of the cat.

"Yes, Yoruichi?"

She scrutinised him more closely before reverting to her human state, her arms folded across her chest as she studied his face."What's happening, Kisuke?"

A genuinely confused expression came across his tired face. "What do you mean Yoruichi?"

"I mean it's been three years, and not even Kyoraku takes three years to win a battle. Something's going on over there." She looked at him longer when he failed to reply, and her voice grew quieter, to the point where Urahara had to strain his ears to hear her. "I'm worried about them, Kisuke."

He suddenly smiled, the most genuine smile she'd seen in three years, as he said, "Why are you worried for them, Yoruichi?"

"Because I trained them, Urahara! They have as much potential as Ichigo did, maybe even more, and we've built them up to believe they can actually survive in that place…" He looked back at her, and for the first time in decades he saw true worry and fear on her face.

_It doesn't suit her_, the thought suddenly struck him.

"What if we were wrong, Kisuke? What if we've sent them straight to their deaths?"

Suddenly arms were encircling her waist, and she realised that she'd forgotten how fast Urahara could be.

"Let me ask you this, Yoruichi. Among the group we trained, who were the strongest fighters?"

She blinked. "What does that have to do with-?"

"-Please just answer, Yoruichi."

She contemplated the meaning of the question before answering, "Tatsuki, Karin, and Mizuiro."

"Wasn't it you, who taught them to fight?" He rested his chin on her head before continuing. "Weren't you the one who taught Ichigo how to reach Bankai, in just three days? More so, wasn't it you who taught Tatsuki-chan how to strengthen her own unique power, and taught her every single one of your own techniques, and then how to develop her own?" He felt her nod once, slowly. "On top of that, you helped Karin develop her shinigami powers and achieve bankai in just under three years, and you showed Mizuiro how to control and fight with his own unique powers, despite them being of a type we've never seen before."

Silence went by before she softly said, "So what, Urahara? They might still die."

Never in his life had Urahara heard such a painful sound as Yoruichi's voice in that moment. _Leaving me broken another time._

"Yeah, you're right Yoruichi. They might. But if it wasn't for you, they'd have nowhere near as high a chance for victory as they do now. So have more faith in their abilities. They deserve it." He moved away from her and towards the space where the garganta had been. "Besides," he looked back at her and grinned to a degree that seemed humanly impossible, "I doubt they've got much chance of losing with half of Sereitei and Karakura sneaking over to help them."

_You walk on like a woman in suffering._

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

All the hollow could do was stare at her, and all she could do was stare at her bare, white feet, and imagine that she was drowning in the crimson that coloured her toenails.

"You're not going to tell me you're kidding, are you?" His voice was uncharacteristically serious, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes themselves trying desperately to meet hers, as if hoping that if he stared hard enough then he'd pierce through her ivory hair and she'd hold her head up high, like he was used to, like she was supposed to.

"Only mere hollows like you could 'kid' about something like this," she snapped back, but her head still stayed trained to her feet, and he noticed that her retorts seemed to be missing the fiery calibre they were supposed to have.

Silence reigned the space between them for what felt like years.

_He wished she would look at him._

He tried to speak, but for the first time, Ogihci was lost for words.

He couldn't take the silence.

She wouldn't look at him.

_He wished she would look at him._

"I failed."

Of all the ways he expected the silence to be broken, he never thought it would be an admittance of defeat from the zanpakuto of Kuchiki Rukia.

He found his voice again. "What?"

Suddenly her head snapped up, and her violet eyes were burning in anger. "I said I failed, are you deaf? Or just ignorant? I failed my master in a way I never thought I could. In a way Zangetsu will never fail Kurosaki. Not even Nejibana, that crude, idiotic, carefree, shameful excuse for a zanpakuto, ever failed Kaien like this!"

Never, in all the time that he had grown accustomed to Shirayuki's visits, had he seen her lose her composure in such a way.

_It doesn't suit her._

"What are you whining about? Catch a fucking grip!" She glared at him, a look of pure hatred on her perfect face, but he couldn't care less. "So Aizen has Rukia, and some other guy, trapped in their minds. They're perfectly healthy for the moment, aren't they?"

"…For right now." Her glare softened into worry. "But the moment Alulueri and the imposter in Rukia's body fight anyone, any damage to their bodies will be inflicted directly to the metaphorical bodies of the real Rukia and Kaien."

He stared at her harder. "So if this new espada in Rukia's body…if her body dies, Rukia'll die?"

"Well done, I've only spent an hour explaining it to you. How pathetic."

"Fuck up, you were the one who was so pathetic she started whining about what a failure she was."

She looked back at him, and for the first time, she spoke to him as if they were on the same level, which, although she didn't know it yet, they were. "I only said you were pathetic. I never said I wasn't." She looked away from him, to the sky beside her.

Silence was growing between them again, and it was killing him.

_When the heart is cold, there's no hope._

"If Rukia is killed, it will be my fault. I was unable to save her. She is only in this danger because I was weak enough to be nearly destroyed by that disgusting imitation of _him_..."

_Nejibana…_

Ogihci didn't need to know what had happened between Rukia and Alulueri to know that Shirayuki _wasn't_ talking about Kaien.

"So what do you need me to do?"

She looked at him again, silently surprised by his calm face and even calmer voice. His willingness to help her. "I need you to tell Kurosaki everything I've told you."

Just like that, the calm was broken.

"What? That's it?!" His reiatsu flared angrily and she looked at him, surprised, but speechless. "That's all you want from me?! So I can run and tell Ichigo what's going on, so he can go and put on his best crown and be the hero who saves the day?! So he can be the king, _again?!_ So he's the one who matters, while I'm stuck here with nothing to do all day but listen to people like you and Zangetsu go on about how great he is, compared to me?!"

"…Ogihci…"

His reiatsu reached what felt like breaking point. "When are you going to realise, that I'm fucking here too?!"

"I already do!" she screamed back at him. "Why else would I be here, asking you to save me?!"

"Because you can't ask Ichigo yourself!" he shouted at her, his voice cracking with anger.

"I'm not asking Ichigo, you fucking hollow, I'm asking _you!_" Ogihci stopped in his tracks and stared at her, and he had to look twice before he realised she was crying, thick black tears staining her porcelain face. "I'm asking _you_ to do this for me! If I was asking Ichigo, I'd have found some way to tell him directly myself, if I was asking Ichigo, I wouldn't still be here, talking to you, and if I was asking Ichigo anything, I'd be asking him to run away from this place and go home before he kills himself, before he kills _you!_"

No words could leave his mouth. All he could do was stare at her and ask himself when she turned into the emotionally unstable creature that she always said _he_ was. When she lost her composure? When she lost Rukia? When she lost Nejibana all over again?

He was compelled by the need to say something to her, but once again it was her who broke the silence.

Her voice was bitter and her small, white hands were tightly fisted. "If it helps your ego trip any, there's something I need you to do that Ichigo can't."

"Name it," he said, and only when he looked back on their conversation did he realise his lack of hesitation to do anything to save her.

"I need you to wait for me," she stated, her violet eyes piercing straight through his black and amber ones.

"How long for?" It didn't sound like a heroic mission, but he found that he didn't care.

She looked at him and with as much honesty as she could, she answered, "I don't know, Ogihci." She turned her back on him and began to walk away, towards the city sidewalks in front of him, before turning back to him and answering his unasked question. "You might see me in a few days…or longer." With that she turned her head back and kept walking.

"How long until you see me?"

She stopped walking and stood still, leaving the hollow to stare at the back of her ivory head. "A few years, at least." Silence began to grow again until she spoke her last words. "Goodbye Ogihci."

An aching he couldn't describe was filling up inside him, anxiety and the need to speak to her, say anything to her, was overflowing. _I feel like I'm drowning. _He needed to say something. He needed to speak.

"Come back soon." She turned round to look at him questioningly, before the smirk she was so used to reappeared on his ivory face as he explained, "You're the only one in this place who calls me by my own name."

She smirked back at him before resuming her steps, and in five seconds she had vanished into nothing.

_You'll never know how your face has haunted me._

-----h-e-a-r-t-----

"Just a little bit further…" He clenched his fists as he ran, his red hair flowing behind him, no longer in place but he didn't seem to notice. The auburn haired girl ran as fast as she could in a vain effort to keep up with him, but she knew Renji was much faster than her, having had years, _lifetimes_ of experience.

"Abarai-kun…" she panted, her breath coming out in cracks.

"What is it, Inoue?"

"Can't you feel it again?"

He frowned in confusion, but before he could ask what she was talking about, the strange reiatsu hit him again, the same as the one he, Ichigo and Orihime felt yesterday. He stopped in his tracks, Orihime right beside him.

"It's those… three reiatsu again, Abarai-kun…"

Three? In the suddenly blank, flooded state of his mind, only one reiatsu screamed out to him. It made his hair stand on end, it overwhelmed him completely, it twisted around his throat like ropes, cutting into his lungs in a way that made it impossible for him to breathe.

In his memories a smaller, weaker, far less intense reiatsu overwhelmed him in much the same way, a picture of hair as black as her eyes and a temperament as fiery as his hair, a presence that was once so weak he could barely notice it but was constantly watching from the corner of his eye.

Somewhere deep down, so deep down that he could push it down further and pretend it didn't exist, he hoped he was right. But as the seconds trickled by and the reiatsu intensified he wished, harder than he'd ever wished on anything his whole life, that he was wrong. He wished it wasn't her.

Suddenly, the raging storm that rang in his ears seemed to stop abruptly. He looked back at Orihime and from the confused look on her face, he confirmed that the reiatsu had vanished once again.

"Inoue…who do you think that is?"

His question went unanswered, and he hoped she would confirm his thoughts, yet wished more than anything that she would contradict them. They both knew who the reiatsu belonged to, but incredulity, disbelief and most of all fear prevented them from saying it aloud.

They once again continued to run, and in what felt like years they had reached the vast, empty space of dust and sand and the body lying face down in it.

"Ishida-kun…" Tears welled up in her eyes again, more sorrow than she'd ever felt in her life streamed down her cheeks despite the fact that she knew she could bring him back. "Ishida-kun, please hang on…" She knelt beside him and placed her hands over his lifeless body, her tears falling on his cold skin. "Ayame, Shuno!" They appeared instantly, and Orihime couldn't help but feel comforted as they smiled at her. "Souten Kisshun; I reject!"

The fairies immediately complied and set up a glowing shield around the Quincy's body, working harder than ever as they felt Orihime's worry and pain seeping through the air.

"Abarai-kun…" Renji looked at Inoue as she smiled sincerely and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming to get me. Ichigo wouldn't have let me go if you hadn't talked to him with me." She glanced at the fallen Quincy's body before turning back to him. "I would never have forgiven myself if I let Ishida-kun go."

Renji didn't really know what to say. He wasn't good in these touchy-feely situations. Awkwardly, he tried to reply. "Ichigo was just…worried you'd get hurt."

She smiled sadly at him before saying, "Kurosaki-kun should worry about Kuchiki-san more. She's more to him than I am."

Renji didn't have the heart to tell her that he does, and she is.

"What a touching scene we have here."

His head whipped round, looking for the source of the harsh voice, and his eyes widened in shock and horror at the sight in front of him. Standing before him was the espada that he and Ishida had fought so hard against, that Ishida had sacrificed himself in order to kill, and yet there he was, perfectly healthy with not a speck of blood or dirt on his immaculate clothes or pink hair.

"Szayel!" Renji roared, instantly pulling out Zabimaru and standing in front of Inoue and Ishida's healing body defensively. "You're fucking stubborn, y'know that?"

"Ah, shinigami, I'm hurt that you seemed to think you could get rid of me for good." He grinned manically, every silent step he took seeming like a never ending nightmare. "I knew you'd be coming back for the Quincy eventually. That's why I kept him alive long enough."

Renji gripped the hilt of his zanpakuto. He didn't like where this was going.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime's voice came out in cracked whispers. "Ishida…" Something was wrong. Something was twisted beyond her control. She turned to Ayame and Shuno, their faces mirroring hers. "Why…?" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why…?"

"I don't know, Hime-chan," Shuno frowned slightly.

"Please…please just work harder." Her vision blurred while she blinked rapidly, trying to regain focus. She turned back to the unconscious body at her knees. "Uryu." She shook his shoulders, while hers did the same. "Uryu!"

Renji listened to Orihime's cries, all the while staring Szayel in the eye. "What did you fucking do?"

"Like I said…I kept him alive long enough," the espada breathed, his eyes glinting in a disturbing way.

"If he was dead, she'd be able to bring him back!" Renji roared, suddenly charging at the pink haired espada. "Stop fucking me around!"

Szayel blocked the strike easily with his own bare arms, a chuckle escaping his lips as he retaliated by making a scratch on Renji's torso. "I never said he was dead, shinigami. I said I kept him alive long enough."

Renji screamed in anger as he tried to strike again. "Long enough for what?!"

"Long enough for this!" the espada laughed, "Kill her!" Renji's heart plummeted to his stomach as he heard a high pitched scream from behind him. He spun around to see something horribly familiar _(not Ishida, no, that can't be Ishida!) _with his hands around Orihime's throat, her screams dying as a guttering, choking sound escaped her lips instead, memories streaming from her eyes while someone she trusted with her whole heart was squeezing the life out of her.

"Inoue!" Renji screamed, his legs running faster than he ever knew they were capable of. "Ishida! Ishida, what the fuck are you doing?!" He was slowing. "Ishida, STOP!" He was definitely slowing. "INOUE!" _Why the hell am I slowing? _"ISHIDA! INOUE!" _What the fuck did that gaydo espada do to me?! _His limbs were slowing, he couldn't deny it. His legs felt heavier. His arms felt like lead, suddenly. Even his eyelids struggled to stay open. Still he tried to run, but he realised he could only be at a walking pace.

"What…the fuck did…you do to me…?" With horror, he realised that even his speech was slowing.

"Ah, what a marvellous test subject you turned out to be! You and the Quincy, well done!" A merciless laugh racked the espada's body before he composed himself. "Shinigami, you've experimented with drugs, ne? This is my very own form of relaxant. I managed to give you a dose through that nice big scratch I gave you about ten seconds ago. It's very concentrated stuff." He laughed again. "You want to sleep, don't you?"

Suddenly, sleep sounded like a _very _nice idea.

"That's what the Quincy did. He _was_ dead when you left, y'know, but me being the kind, generous man I am, I brought him back to life. He seemed pretty tired, so I gave him some of this. I suggested he slept, so he did. I suggested he kill the pretty girl over there, so he's doing that now. The power of suggestion is oh so underrated, don't you agree?

Yes, Renji agreed.

"Have you ever wondered what happens to a shinigami when they die?"

Yes, Renji was rather curious about it, actually.

"Would you like to find out, shinigami?"

Yes, Renji decided it would be interesting to find out, and nodded his head once slowly.

"You see that zanpakuto in your hands? If you were to run that through your heart, you'd find out."

Yes, Renji supposed he would. He raised his arms agonisingly slowly, his blood pumping in his ears, until his sword was held out in front of his heart.

Orihime's vision was beginning to darken, but her eyes constantly jumped from Ishida to Renji and back to Ishida again. She wanted to shout to Renji. _Don't do this Abarai-kun! This isn't how it's supposed to go! _but all breath was escaping her as the hands of Ishida Uryu squeezed the life out of her. She looked back into his face, and even more tears silently streamed from her eyes as she saw his calm, blank expression.

He was not Ishida. Ishida was not passively doing as he was told, and Ishida was not turning on people who loved him, and Ishida was not hurting his friends. Ishida was the blue of the dress he made her, and Ishida was the suspense in the movies he convinced her to watch, and Ishida was the ice cream he'd buy her at weekends, and Ishida was walking home after school, and walking with her at 3am when neither of them could sleep, and Ishida was the clean white stitches of her heart, and Orihime suddenly realised that Ishida was-

_Ishida is the only one I'll ever be completely and utterly in love with._

She shakily raised an arm and touched his cheek softly. She tried to tell him, but not even air could leave her throat now. _At least when I die, he's the last face I'll see._

The sword slowly inched towards his chest, feeling like a lifetime to him. The less he thought, the more he wanted to know. What was going to happen? Would he be reborn into the human world? Would he just cease to exist completely? Would he- (_something stung where he figured his heart was, something that wasn't the sword which was mere inches away)_ would he see her again?

"You stopped," the espada laughed lightly. "Don't you wanna know, shinigami? Aren't you just dying to find out where you'll go?"

…Yes. Yes, he was dying to know. He gripped the hilt harder as the blade slowly began to pierce his skin-

His hair stood on end as that inexplicable, overwhelming feeling returned, _that reiatsu,_ twisting around his throat like ropes, cutting into his lungs and making it impossible for him to breathe. In the blank state of his mind, thoughts and feelings and his sense suddenly flooded back, images of that spiky black hair and fiery temper flashing before his eyes.

The sword slipped from his hand and lay forgotten on the ground.

"Hey, Glasses!" and those hands were ripped from Orihime's throat as Ishida was sent sprawling across the sand. "I almost approved of you too, you asshole!"

He was afraid to turn around and look.

"I don't know what the hell got into you, but – take this, Glasses!" Renji distinctly heard a cracking sound coming from over his shoulder.

"Ta-Tatsuki-chan…?" came Orihime's hoarse whisper.

In the back of his mind, Renji felt a small sense of pride at knowing he'd been right all along, but this was outweighed by the fear that suddenly dropped from his throat to the pit of his stomach like a runaway elevator. She couldn't be here. She was only human, and now she would be killed like one.

"Hey, Mizuiro, you do your thing now, kay?"

He wanted to turn around, _so badly._

Orihime looked on in shock as Ishida suddenly became completely still where he stood. "Tatsuki-chan…" Her body became racked with sobs. "Tatsuki-chan!"

"It's okay, Orihime." Tatsuki looked behind her shoulder to catch Orihime's eye, and gave her a bright smile. "Whatever that bastard did to Glasses, he's fine now." She winked at her best friend before turning back to Mizuiro, who was clad in a standard shinigami hakama like Keigo, who stood mere feet away from Tatsuki. "Keep going!"

Orihime was confused. She couldn't see Mizuiro actually _doing _anything. He was just standing there stock still, watching Ishida with the creepy sort of intensity usually reserved for stalkers and paedophiles. In any other situation she would have laughed, actually. She continued to watch Ishida, slowly inching closer towards him so she could try and work out what was happening. It looked as if his eyes were clouded over by some sort of translucent film, but she saw that the sharp blue was steadily returning with every step she took. She didn't know what Mizuiro was doing, but it was working, whatever it was.

"Hey, Pineapple!" Renji _had_ to turn around now, and came face to face with the bloodstained hurricane, the one person he had hoped would never get involved in all this. He looked down at her and noticed with slight surprise that she'd let her dark hair grow longer, down to her shoulders, but still with the same spiky edges he'd grown used to in Karakura. Her pale face was flecked with blood, he realised probably from previous fights. Her brown eyes looked up at him while her small, _(bloodstained)_ lips twisted into a triumphant grin. "I knew you were one of them."

_She just crashes back in as if she was never gone in the first place. Arisawa. _She would never know how her face had haunted him. Renji became lost in his thoughts, and it took him a moment to register that she'd said something. "…What?"

She sighed impatiently. "I knew you were a shinigami, like Ichigo. I just didn't know what that _was_ at the time." She blinked away the fleeting, painful memory of feeling left behind and gave him a smirk. "So, Abarai, what's the plan?"

He inwardly smiled to himself as he turned around and gestured towards Szayel, who had been watching the proceedings with unhidden interest. "We kick that guys ass."

-----h-e-a-r-t--c-h-a-p-t-e-r--s-i-x-----

Hope you all enjoyed, and I hope the snazzy recap helped to jog your memory. :]

_No Ichigo this chapter, or Rukia either, but she'll be taking most of the spotlight next chapter, so I hope all you Rukia fans will be pleased._

_Review? :D_


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